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It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Jane Sargent on Tuesday, October 26th. Her family was at her bedside at the time of her passing.
Jane was one of the original faculty in the Department of Neurology and left an indelible mark on the history of UMass Neurology and all the trainees in the program. In fact, she was precepting in clinic the week before her passing. She loved caring for patients and teaching and was the person to go to for opinions on the most complex cases.
Her knowledge base of rare neurological disorders exceeded that of any of other clinician Dr. Brian Silver had ever met. Besides her love of taking care of patients and teaching, she was also an accomplished beekeeper and traveler, having spent many summers in Iceland and then in Mexico. As many of you know, she was also a caring grandmother who had primary responsibility for her grandson.
Please keep her family in your thoughts. Grief counseling is available through Employee Assistance Program at UMass Medical School.
Our department wanted to share some memories and tributes to Dr. Sargent:
"My heart breaks as I read the sad news of Jane’s passing. When she was present, she was truly present at the moment, listening to one’s pains and offering genuine words of consolation. Even in her last years as a wards attending several years ago, she was a rock star—I still remember the awesome moment in which she went on a mini-strike with her trainees during the morning rounds where we all sat down on the nursing station ground to call out a problem, and the nursing manager had to call the chief medical officer to get down and talk to her in person to get up from the ground. When this happened, she gave us a smile, and told us this is one of the ways to get the leadership to come down to see the problem. This was Jane—when she engaged, we listened with awe. And what truly inspired me is her bravery -- She was not afraid to confront systemic issues when she recognized a problem. And I always wanted to seek her advice, how did she stay so resilient? She was truly an inspiration and a great role model for a woman like me. I am blessed to have met her as my teacher. I will never forget Jane."
"So very sad to hear. Deep condolences to her family and friends. I’ve known Jane since I was a visiting medical student at UMass; she’s been a formative presence for me and undoubtedly countless others who trained with or learned from her. She cast an indelible presence with her prodigious knowledge, her wit, and her abiding curiosity. I’ll remember her fondly, and with gratitude."
"Such heart breaking news. She trained me, mentored me. There are so many good memories. She also advocated for all the faculty in the department, especially young faculty and helped us out in all situations. She taught us so many lifelong lessons. She will be missed deeply."
"She was an iconic figure in our department. A great teacher and mentor (proud to be her student). She will be missed by many of us who learned and benefitted from her knowledge and thought provoking comments. God bless your soul Jane. Rest in Peace."
"Sad, heartbreaking news! A generous, kind, admired, talented colleague and friend for many, many years. A real doctor, and an excellent teacher, she was my mentor, the person to go to for help and always get it. But this is beyond words. She will live on in my memory, and there are so many memories!"
"Thank you for sharing the sad news. I was just talking about fond memories of Dr. Sargent last Saturday when Oleg and his wife Maria visited Iceland. She was an amazing teacher and probably the most memorable character I will ever meet."
"I am deeply saddened to hear Jane Sargent died. She was one of the truly unique individuals and stars in Neurology in so many ways."
"So sorry to hear this news… She was quite a legend both inside and outside of our residency program. Whenever I have a challenging case, I sometimes still ask myself what would Jane Sargent do to sort this out?"
"This is terrible news. She was certainly one of the pillars of UMASS Neurology. I personally learned a lot from her. Please convey my deepest sympathy & condolences to her family."
"So sad to hear of Jane’s passing. I had hoped to meet with her over the coming year. This woman was the most intelligent human being that I ever met. She was a great teacher. I am so sad that she is gone. She was truly a gift to those of us who were exposed to her."
"A very tragic loss. I still remember seeing some patients with her during the memorable "night clinic" sessions. And she was a great resource for residents who needed to discuss life's ups and downs. My condolences to the family."
"My sincere condolences to Jane’s family, friends and the UMass Neurology Department. She was one of my favorite neurologists to work with and to learn from during residency. Funny, witty, kind… she was a great physician and a wonderful person."
The Neurology Department is planning a tribute to Dr. Sargent.
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