In Memoriam: A Champion of Pediatric Epilepsy

The epilepsy community lost a champion in the field of pediatric epilepsy when Dr. William R. Turk, chair-elect of the Epilepsy Foundation’s Professional Advisory Board, passed away on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Dr. Turk was the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology at Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and the Director of the Child Neurology Training Program at the Mayo Graduate School of Education.


At the Epilepsy Foundation, we knew Dr. Turk as a gentle leader whose sense of humor brightened many events devoted to developing programs for children, families and professionals. He was generous with his time and his genuine dedication to our mission made an indelible impact on the lives of so many people. To honor his life’s work, the Foundation has established the William R. Turk Pediatric Research Award to fund projects exhibiting exceptional merit in improving the lives of children with epilepsy and their families. His family was able to tell him about the award before he passed, and he was very pleased.

The Board of Directors, the Professional Advisory Board and the staff would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Turk and his family for all of their contributions to the Foundation and our mission. He was a mentor, a colleague and—most importantly--a friend whose positive energy and upbeat attitude moved us through many challenging times. We were blessed to know him and work with him. We will miss him a great deal; however we know his impact on our work, and our lives, will endure.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in honor of Dr. Turk to the Epilepsy Foundation, William Turk Pediatric Research Award.