Edgar Housepian

Edgar Minas Housepian (New York City (1928-03-18)March 18, 1928 – Englewood, New Jersey (2014-11-14)November 14, 2014) was a neurosurgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital, a professor of neurosurgery at Columbia University Medical School for almost 60 years who wrote more than 100 articles about neurosurgery, and a founder of the Fund for Armenian Relief. At Columbia he was also made the Dean’s special advisor for international affiliations, affiliating with universities and students on five continents to create educational opportunities which 60% of Columbia’s medical students were taking advantage of by the time of his death.[1] He was the son of Dr. Moses Housepian and the brother of the author Marjorie Housepian Dobkin.[2]

In response to the 1988 Armenian earthquake Dr. Housepian and two other Armenian-Americans, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian of the Armenian Church and the builder Kevork Hovnanian, created the Fund for Armenian Relief.[3]

He received dozens of awards and honors, including the Presidential Citation of the Republic of Armenia in 1994; an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the Armenian National Academy of Sciences and an Honorary Doctorate of Medicine from Yerevan State Medical University in 1997; the Humanitarian Award of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in 2002; and the Dr. Edgar Housepian Professorship in Neurological Surgery at Columbia University Medical School, established by the university's board of trustees and named in his honor.[4]

In 2019 the Edgar Housepian Neurology and Neurosurgery Center was opened at Arabkir Plus Medical Center in Yerevan. In addition to being named in his honor the facility has a bust of Dr. Housepian sculpted by his daughter, Jean Housepian.[5]

Jean Housepian & her brother Dr. David Hovsepian at Arabkir Plus Medical Center with her bust of their father