In Memoriam Kapil Sethi, MD (1953–2024)

Abstract

Our beloved colleague and dear friend to so many, Kapil Sethi, MD, died unexpectedly and tragically on July 29, 2024. As in life, he was surrounded by his immediate family, extended family, close friends, and beautiful music. Those who knew Kapil best describe him as a “larger-than-life” figure whose wit, humor, knowledge, and grace made him a leader in our field, a highly respected teacher, and an entertainer on congress stages who helped create, with Dr. Tony Lang, the signature event of the annual International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders. He cohosted “Video Olympics/Games/Challenge” and, with Tom Swift, “Neurobowl” at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). These extremely popular, educational, and entertaining events were the perfect vehicles for Kapil's unparalleled skills. He was elegant in his formal attire and his banter was legendary while simultaneously teaching an audience of 1000 the finer points of neurologic diagnosis.

Dr. Sethi was born and raised in Punjab, India. In primary school he was known for his disdain for formal, didactic teaching and would tell stories of running away from school and riding water buffaloes to stay cool. His father eventually steered him toward medicine, although, not surprisingly, he was more interested in becoming a singer and entertainer. These qualities set the stage for his becoming an “entertainer” as an academic neurologist whose students revered him and his patient-centered approach to learning.

He eventually attended the Christian Medical School in Punjab and trained in Medicine and Neurology. At age 27, he emigrated to the United Kingdom for a fellowship in motor neuron disease, followed by a 2-year stint as a registrar in Wales. In the early 1980s, he moved to Augusta, Georgia, and completed a PGY-4 year in Neurology, enabling him to start his long tenure on the faculty of the Medical College of Georgia (now Georgia Health Sciences University). He first became interested in movement disorders while in India, where he observed the ravages of Parkinson's disease before levodopa, and his classic training in neurologic diagnosis attracted him to a field where phenomenology was so key. He started the first movement disorders program in Georgia in 1985 and directed it until he became Professor Emeritus in 2016. Along the way, his program became a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence. He regularly and proudly pointed out that he had no formal training in movement disorders but learned at the feet of the fathers of our field, Drs. Stanley Fahn and David Marsden, by religiously attending their annual “Unusual Movement Disorders” courses at the AAN meeting.

Dr. Sethi was a longstanding advocate of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society serving in numerous leadership roles. He chaired the development committee, was an associate editor of Movement Disorders, was on the International Executive Committee, and was our representative to the World Health Organization's International Advisory Board for the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. His record of achievement in experimental therapeutics, academic publications, visiting lectureships, and teaching programs was voluminous. Dr. Sethi is also credited with describing the “eye of the tiger sign” in pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (formerly Hallervorden-Spatz disease).

Perhaps one of the first “stage roles” that brought Dr. Sethi to international attention was his position as “the Judge” (wearing a full bottom wig and long flowing robe) in the extremely popular Neurobowl at the AAN's annual meeting. Although very entertaining and seemingly very knowledgeable in his declarations when there were any questions about the answers provided by the panelists, most attendees never appreciated how much serious work Kapil put into that program, finding and preparing almost all the cases that were finally shown. Kapil also served for 13 years as the cohost of the Video Challenge at the MDS Congress. In no small measure, it was his remarkable stage presence that made this the most popular event of the annual MDS Congress. His sense of humor and enjoyment of the field was evident throughout the proceedings. He also cowrote and acted in two fun skits that introduced the 10th anniversary and the 13th annual Video Challenge. These will be published along with a brief “celebration” commentary in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice.

For those who knew Kapil Sethi well, it was his work-life balance that we all so admired. His wife, Ranjit, also a neurologist, and his three children (Aditi, Guarav, and Ajay) were his real pride and joy. Aditi is now a palliative care physician whose Center for Conscious Living and Dying served as the final gathering place for family and friends as we said goodbye to our dear friend. How fitting that his son Ajay will be starting a fellowship in movement disorders next year at the Georgia Health Sciences University, where he will carry on the family tradition. His son Gaurav has an MBA and lives in Greenville with his family.

Kapil loved music, which always played in the Sethi household. He had a wonderful voice, played the tabla, and often made music with his musician son-in-law, Jay, and daughter, Aditi. He is actually featured on a CD they made together.

His other passion was golf. As an Augusta resident, he would often joke that he would always check his patient list to see if any Augusta National Golf Club members were on his schedule so he could score an invite. After many years, he finally succeeded and was invited to play. One of us (M.B.S.) had the good fortune of being invited to join him when the invitation finally came. Indeed, we played golf together throughout the world and he always managed to organize a game during or after a meeting, no matter where the location.

Kapil was beloved by students, colleagues, and friends around the world. His humor, intelligence, and affectionate nature endeared him to everyone he interacted with. The consummate educator-entertainer in our field, we will sorely miss his booming voice, wry smile, and quick wit and the lessons he taught us all about living life to its fullest. There is no one in our field to whom the term “larger than life” applied better, and we are saddened that he is no longer a part of our lives (Figs 1 and 2).

Dr. Stern is Chief Medical Officer of Mediflix and serves on the Data Management and Safety Committees for Biogen and Neuroderm. Dr. Lang has served as an advisor for AbbVie, Amylyx, Aprinoia, Biogen, BioAdvance, Biohaven, BioVie, BlueRock, BMS, Denali, Janssen, Lilly, Pharma 2B, Sun Pharma, and UCB; received honoraria from Sun Pharma, AbbVie, and Sunovion; received grants from Brain Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Ontario Brain Institute, Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson Canada, and W. Garfield Weston Foundation; is serving as an expert witness in litigation related to paraquat and Parkinson's disease; and received publishing royalties from Elsevier, Saunders, Wiley-Blackwell, Johns Hopkins Press, and Cambridge University Press.