Pachner Named Murray B. Bornstein Professor

Andrew R. Pachner, MD, has been named the inaugural holder of the Murray B. Bornstein Professorship, which supports a clinician in Geisel’s Department of Neurology who conducts research in progressive, disabling neurological diseases, preferably multiple sclerosis.

“This professorship represents the remarkable accomplishments and life of Dr. Murray Bornstein,” said Chip Souba, MD, ScD, MBA, dean of the Geisel School of Medicine. “It is fitting that a noted physician and researcher such as Andy Pachner should be the first to receive this prestigious honor.”

Murray B. Bornstein, MD
Murray B. Bornstein, MD (DC '39) was a renowned clinician and researcher in the field of multiple sclerosis and a former adjunct professor at Dartmouth's medical school.

This endowed professorship was established with a generous gift to the Geisel School of Medicine by the family of Murray B. Bornstein, MD (DC ’39), a renowned clinician and researcher in the field of multiple sclerosis and a former adjunct professor at Dartmouth’s medical school. Bornstein is best known for pioneering a tissue-culture technique for diseases of the central nervous system and for leading several exemplary clinical trials for multiple sclerosis treatment. His work continues to benefit patients, as he was integral in the testing and approval of glatiramer acetate (GA), the most commonly used drug for treating multiple sclerosis in the U.S.

“Andy embodies the spirit, the wisdom, the commitment to both science and patient care that Murray had, as well as being blessed with a generous spirit and gracious sense of humor,” said Selma Bornstein, who was married to Murray Bornstein for nearly 40 years until his death in 1995. “All of these qualities combine to produce a great scientist and humanist, one worthy of carrying on the Bornstein tradition in medicine and life.”

“It is an honor to be selected as the first Murray B. Bornstein Professor at Geisel,” said Pachner. “Along with his large body of work in the research lab, Dr. Bornstein was a compassionate and highly skilled clinician. I will try as best I can to emulate him as a researcher, clinician, and leader in neurology."

Pachner is a professor in the Department of Neurology at Geisel and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Prior to joining Dartmouth in 2012, he served on the faculty at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Yale University School of Medicine. He has been a principal investigator for many industry and government-sponsored clinical trials and research projects in multiple sclerosis and its models, Lyme neuroborreliosis and myasthenia gravis.

Pachner received his undergraduate and medical degrees at Yale and completed his internship and assistant residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. His training also includes a fellowship and chief residency in neurology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was born and raised in the Chicago area and currently resides in Norwich, Vt.

For more on Murray Bornstein and Mrs. Bornstein’s support of neurology research, education, and patient care at Geisel and Dartmouth-Hitchcock, read “Sixteen years of giving benefits MS research, trainees, and patients.”