Remembering Beloved Alzheimer's Specialist Dr. Earl Zimmerman

The Albany Medical Center community mourns the loss of Earl Zimmerman, MD, founder and longtime director of The Alzheimer’s Center, who passed away on Dec. 26, 2023.

Dr. Zimmerman joined Albany Medical Center in 2000, serving as chair of the Department of Neurology until 2004. Passionate about the diagnosis and care of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, Dr. Zimmerman was instrumental in the formation of Albany Medical Center’s Alzheimer’s Center in 2002, which he directed until his retirement in December. The Center, supported by The Anne B. and Leon J. Goldberg Foundation, provides vital resources for clinical care, research, and the social and emotional support of patients and their caregivers throughout the region. The program is designated one of 10 Centers of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease in New York State by the New York State Department of Health.

The Center also provided an opportunity for Dr. Zimmerman to fulfill another passion in the training of students, residents, and colleagues in the neurology profession.

“In addition to his leadership, Earl was an unparalleled academician, both in education and research, training generations of neurology colleagues and advancing the science of dementia to new heights,” said Panayiotis Varelas, MD, PhD, the Bender Endowed Chair of Neurology at Albany Medical Center.

Dr. Zimmerman received his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his clinical and research training at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, where he went on to be named professor of neurology and became well-known for his research in neuroendocrinology.

A Celebration of Life, followed by a small reception, will be held on February 10, 2024, at First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Ave., in Albany.