Herb and Hazel Karp
We are sad to announce the passing of Emory Professor Emeritus of Neurology Herbert Karp, MD on Friday, March 11. He was 94. A native of Atlanta, Dr. Karp was a 1951 graduate of Emory University School of Medicine.
Returning to Emory in 1957, he was instrumental in the development of neurology at Emory, which was first recognized as a distinct discipline within the Department of Medicine in 1958. Dr. Karp was the first (and only) director of the division of neurology. Under his leadership, the division status was elevated to an independent department in 1976, and he was appointed its first chair.
Dr. Karp left that position in 1983 to become the inaugural director of medical services at Wesley Woods Center, which included the nation’s first geriatric hospital. He also established and was director of the geriatric division of the Department of Medicine. In 1989, his peers awarded Dr. Karp the Jack A. Raines, MD, Humanitarian Award, which is presented to a physician “who makes an outstanding humanitarian contribution to his or her fellow man, community, country or world community beyond the normal practice of medicine.”
He next served as associate medical director for the Georgia Medical Care Foundation for 23 years, retiring at age 90. Dr. Karp received the Thomas Jefferson Award, the highest honor given by Emory to a faculty member. In honor of his legacy and contributions, the Emory Department of Neurology created the Herbert Karp Neuroscience Endowment to support excellence in teaching, research, and clinical care for generations to come.
Dr. Karp is survived by his wife of 67 years, Hazel; his daughters, Miriam and Beth (Richard Fischer); son Benjamin (Margie); grandchildren: Isabella Cantor, Simon and Marlee Fischer, and Jonathan and Aaron Karp. The family expresses their deep gratitude for the loving care of Gwendolyn Brown and Patricia Thompson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Friends of Music, Office of Gift Records, Emory University, 1762 Clifton Rd. NE, Suite 1400, MS:0970-001-8AA, Atlanta, GA 30322-4001.
