Obituary Dr. Dikran S. Horoupian
Dr. Dikran S. Horoupian, M.D., Former Chief of Diagnostic Neuropathology (1986-2002)
Dr. Dikran S. Horoupian, husband, father, grandfather, physician, scientist and educator, passed away on June 21, 2024. Born on January 22, 1933, in Tanta, Egypt, Dikran went from extremely humble beginnings to achieve and create an extraordinary life, and in so doing, became a role model to many, including his sons, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, his students, residents and fellows.
At an early age, Dikran was steadfastly determined to one day become a physician. Born to survivors of the Armenian Genocide who had settled in Egypt, his parents did not have the financial means to provide him with the education he needed to reach his goal. Consistent with how he lived his entire life, Dikran took matters into his own hands. Excelling at every level of his education, Dikran earned scholarships that helped fund his ultimate graduation with high honors from medical school in Alexandria. Trained as a surgeon in Egypt but determined to escape a political landscape in Egypt which made advancements for Christian minorities increasingly difficult, his career took him on an exciting path into unknown territories.
His first foray out of Egypt was to work for the World Health Organization as a “bush doctor” in the Congolese jungle where he served as a district health officer. After he completed this fulfilling experience, he was presented with an opportunity to achieve his goal of emigrating to North America. He accepted a position as a pathology resident at Winnipeg General Hospital, traveling directly from the jungles of Congo to the bitter cold of Canada. He took a sabbatical leave and trained for two years in neuropathology at the prestigious Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Following a brief return to Winnipeg, and one year at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Dikran returned to Einstein in 1975 where he served as the Chief of Diagnostic Neuropathology until he landed his dream job at Stanford University in 1986 as a tenured professor and Director of Neuropathology. He finished this last chapter of his prodigious career when he retired in 2002. He served as Professor Emeritus for years after his retirement.
In retirement, Dikran authored his memoirs of his accomplished life, A Peripatetic Armenian Doctor-Impact of Genocide. An Autobiography, published in 2014. For those interested, a synopsis of his autobiography can be found at Autobiography Series: Autobiography of a Peripatetic Neuropathologist | Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology | Oxford Academic. https://academic.oup.com/jnen/
Forgoing more financially lucrative opportunities along the way, Dikran amassed his riches in the form of pursuing his passion for research and teaching. His was published over 250 times, including textbooks and research publications in among other things, the New England Journal of Medicine. He formally trained over 20 neuropathology fellows, many of whom went on to distinguished academic careers of their own. But his true measure of wealth was his family, to whom he showed the same steadfast and selfless dedication that earned him his professional success. Dikran is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Hermine, his sons Rupert (Lara), Mark (Grace), Garry (Edita), and his grandchildren, Areg, Nyrie, Sosi, Pateel, Ani and Palig.
