Austin J. Sumner: In Memoriam

Professor Austin J. Sumner, a leader in the field of neuromuscular disease and electromyography, died on August 30, 2025, at the age of 87. He played an important role in the development of our careers and was instrumental in the training of neurology residents, neuromuscular and neurophysiology fellows, many of whom have become leaders in neurology, peripheral nerve disease, and electromyography. Among his many leadership positions, Prof. Sumner had been Chair of the AAN (Brain) Foundation from 2005 to 2011. He was Chairman of Neurology at LSU SOM in New Orleans from 1995 to 2014; President of AAEM (now AANEM) in 1986; Chair of the Board of the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine in 1991. Austin, as we were allowed to call him after our residency and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, was born and raised in Hokitika, New Zealand and as a teenager in Wellington. He received his medical degree at the University of New Zealand in Dunedin where he also received a Master of Medical Science with first class honours. It was during this time that he met his wife of 59 years, Jane, a staff nurse at the time. In 1968, he was awarded a Nuffield Foundation Post Doctoral Traveling Fellowship to train in Neurology at National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, London. Under the tutelage of Prof. Roger Gilliatt, Austin developed his neuromuscular clinical and electrodiagnostic skills and a lifelong interest in neuromuscular disease. In 1971, he and his enlarging family moved to UCSF where he began his collaboration with Prof. Arthur Asbury. A further move in 1975 to Philadelphia where Prof. Asbury was Chair led to important research in peripheral nerve pathophysiology and clinical disease. In 1988, he moved to New Orleans as Chair of Neurology at LSU, bringing with him from Penn fellow New Zealander, Professor Gareth J. G. Parry as well as John England (current chair at LSU). An outstanding clinician and superb teacher, he was a true “artiste” of electromyography. His approach to electrodiagnostics was based on an in-depth knowledge of basic and clinical neurophysiology. He approached each patient as a “disease riddle” and creatively used electrodiagnostic techniques to problem solve. During our years at Penn, we looked forward to EMG sessions with Austin where he would question, quiz, and demonstrate aspects of the clinical exam and EMG to the many that congregated in the room. The pearls of wisdom went well beyond the specific problem of the patient and informed our own practices and careers. It was not uncommon for Professor Asbury to come to the EMG lab to discuss a patient with Austin. They would chat, argue, and ultimately develop a diagnostic and/or therapeutic plan. Their energy, excitement, and insightful comments were inspiring. It was during one of these discussions that the idea for what has been called the Lewis-Sumner Syndrome was initiated. They, along with our colleague, Mark Brown, were very generous with their time and allowed me (Rich) to contribute ideas and develop the manuscript. When Multifocal Motor Neuropathy was identified by Gareth Parry as well as the group at Hopkins that included David, those of us at Penn enjoyed lively discussions and journal jousting as to whether MMN and L-SS were the same (Austin and Gareth's belief) or different (Rich's understanding). Austin's enthusiasm was also obvious in his peripheral nerve physiology lab. His publications on acrylamide neuropathy were important contributions to our understanding of “dying back neuropathies.” I (Rich) was a fellow in the lab when the intraneural injection of immune sera in rat sciatic nerve experiments was being done with Profs Kyoko and Takahiko Saida. Austin's excitement as we witnessed conduction block develop over 150 min was contagious, and his observations that the paranodal region was an early site of attack led to groundbreaking experiments with Prof. Michael Rasminsky in Montreal demonstrating how paranodal retraction could, by itself, cause conduction block. This observation has importance as we recognize the nodal antibody disorders that cause a subset of the immune neuropathies. Austin's critical observations led to a number of unique contributions. During his time at Queen Square, he and Gilliatt recognized the specific clinical and electrodiagnostic findings of True Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which has been associated with the Gilliatt-Sumner hand. He, along with John England recognized that there were characteristic nerve conduction findings in anti-MAG neuropathy of distal accentuated slowing. He also was one of the first to recognize that Parsonage-Turner Syndrome was not a true brachial plexopathy but a syndrome of multifocal neuropathies leading to the more appropriate term, “neuralgic amyotrophy.” What distinguishes these contributions is that they were all based on careful and thoughtful clinical and electrodiagnostic observations. Austin's contribution to neurology included his role as Chair of the AAN (Brain) Foundation from 2005 to 2011. He was very proud of his leadership in developing the Foundation Training Grants Program which now provides funding for future clinical and scientific researchers in all aspects of neurology. Austin was a colorful personality. He loved nothing more than a good debate, and he could take any side of any debate. In fact, it was difficult to know where he stood on certain topics as he would take the side you thought was not the one he believed in. More importantly, he demanded critical thinking of those around him. Heaven forbid, one try to develop a sloppy argument; he would pressure you to stand behind it until it became clear you had to give up. Austin was a man of many hobbies and passions that he pursued with great energy. He had a longstanding interest in breeding racing pigeons which he developed in NZ and continued throughout his time in New Orleans. He raised Gordon and English setters that he competed with in dog field trials and had award-winning hunting dogs. He remained involved in field trials after he stopped raising dogs, as he would travel to competitions as a horse-riding judge. His family were sources of joy and pride. We both recall many long conversations about the accomplishments of Jane, and his children Charlotte (Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins and Past-President of the Peripheral Nerve Society) and his son Austin (Medical Director of Occupational Medicine at University of Vermont), visibly moved as he talked. We remember Austin as an outstanding clinician, investigator, electromyographer, teacher, and mentor who made important contributions to our understanding of the peripheral nervous system and influenced both of our careers and the many others that were fortunate enough to have studied and/or worked with him.