BOSTON - Galen V. Henderson, MD, FNCS, 56, passed away on December 26, surrounded by his loving family following a recent illness. A resident of Taunton, MA, Dr. Henderson was the beloved husband of Vanessa M. Britto, MD, MSc, FACP. Dr. Henderson was born in Memphis, TN, and raised in Tunica MS. He is survived by his mother Peggie A. (Bonds) Henderson of Tunica, MS, his sister, Erika Winfrey (Harold) of Memphis TN; maternal grandfather, Adam Bonds of Tunica, MS; maternal great uncle Bobby Bonds of Tunica, MS; maternal great aunt Ethel Burton of Cleveland OH; aunts Vivian Thompson of Atlanta, GA; Clara H Burnett of Tunica, MS, Shirley Hall of Tunica, MS, Janet Scott of Tunica, MS, Jannie Bonds of Tunica, MS; uncles Carl Bonds of Tunica, MS and (Eugene) Melvin Bonds of Memphis, TN. He is also survived by his devoted brothers-in-law Thomas Bretto and Julius Britto, and sister-in-law Sandra Britto, all of Rochester, MA along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, god-children, extended family and lifelong friends. He is predeceased by his father, G.W. Henderson, Jr.; paternal grandparents, G.W. Henderson, Sr. and Geneva Henderson; paternal uncle, Clayton Henderson; his maternal grandmother, (Annie) Mae Bonds; his maternal uncle, Major (Mitchell) Taylor, and sister-in-law, Rita Bretto.

Attending Rosa Fort High School in Tunica, where he excelled academically and graduated Salutatorian, Galen achieved state-wide championship ranking in the discus throw and in football where he was recruited to play for Clemson University. Valuing his academic pursuits Galen earned a BS (cum laude) in chemistry from Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS, and an MD from Brown University in Providence, RI. Meeting at Brown University where both were studying medicine and in medical training, Dr. Henderson and Dr. Britto married in 1993 during Brown’s Commencement weekend. They took great pride in the festivity of Brown’s Commencement Weekend, always marking their wedding anniversary.

Throughout Galen and Vanessa’s life together their walk has been grounded in their strong faith in God and in service. In addition to medicine and a commitment to medical mission work, primarily in Cabo Verde, Galen developed a passion for cycling, international travel and enjoying live jazz – often traveling to see the “greats” and annually to the Newport Jazz Festival. Over the years, Galen became a self-described “Francophile” enjoying “all things French”, particularly the language. He studied conversational French for several years, viewing it as a vehicle by which he could further explore international cultures with greater ease and a mechanism by which he could

communicate with Vanessa’s family in her ancestral home of Cabo Verde – to which they had traveled often. It gave Galen great satisfaction to communicate with many who returned to Cabo Verde after traveling to France for work.

Dr. Henderson had a tremendous and lasting positive impact on every institution and community he was involved in, including Brown University, Tougaloo College, and Brigham and Women's Hospital where he served as Director of Neurocritical Care in the Department of Neurology and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer (CDIO). Galen's warm smile, thoughtful and insightful assessment of challenging and thorny issues, and his steadfast commitment to the well-being of his patients, his colleagues, students of Brown University’s Alpert Medical School and everyone he met was inspiring. His presence and love for all things Brown, Tougaloo College, and the Brigham will be deeply missed by all of the communities, but his legacy will continue to make the world a better place for generations through the patients and families he treated and the students and colleagues he taught and mentored.

He completed his residency in the Harvard-Longwood Neurology Training Program and completed a fellowship in Neurocritical Care at the Brigham. Dr. Henderson subsequently joined the Brigham’s Neurology Department, where he became the director of Neurocritical Care in 2001. He was the country’s first African-American neurology-based neurointensivist and the first African-American Fellow to be inducted into the nation’s Neurocritical Care Society (FNCS). During his tenure as Director of the Neurological Intensive Care Unit, the neurocritical care service grew from five to twenty beds and is now one of the busiest ICUs at the Brigham.

Dr. Henderson was the recipient of many academic, service, and community awards, including induction into his Mississippi hometown Tunica Hall of Fame in 2009. Galen, as he was warmly known to so many, was a thoughtful and collaborative leader and gifted physician who leaves an indelible mark on the Brigham community, the countless patients and families he cared for, and the thousands of faculty, trainees and students whom he served in the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) as its Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO). Enormously dedicated to elevating opportunities for those who are underrepresented in science and medicine, Dr. Henderson was resolute in his commitment to making the Brigham a place where everyone felt like they belonged and could thrive. In his time as CDIO, he helped usher in the most diverse incoming classes of residents in the hospital’s history.

In addition to his work at the Brigham, Galen was the founding deputy editor of Journal Watch Neurology, editor of Reprints in Stroke and the associate medical director of two

federally designated organ procurement organizations. He received awards from three different secretaries of Health and Human Services for his contributions to the development of the Organ Donation National Collaborative. He was an assistant professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, where his research focused on clinical trials regarding treatments for stroke and cerebral hemorrhage. In addition, he lectured extensively at the Neurocritical Care Society, the American Academy of Neurology, throughout the country and internationally.

At Brown, Galen served two terms as a Trustee on the Corporation. He was also the president of the 100,000 member Brown Alumni Association and president of the Brown Medical Alumni Association, a member of the Brown Medicine Magazine Editorial Board, and a member of the Advisory Council on Biology and Medicine and the Advisory Council on Relations with Tougaloo. On the Corporation, he served on the Committees on Academic Affairs; Medical and Health Affairs (including as vice chair from 2019 to 2023). In 2014, he received the Brown Bear Award, one of the highest honors given for distinguished service to Brown University.

Funeral services for Dr. Henderson will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2024 at the Wickenden Chapel at Tabor Academy, 86 Spring Street, Marion, MA at 1:00 p.m. Masks will be available, and for those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Galen V. Henderson MD'93 and Vanessa M. Britto MD MMSc'96 Medical Scholarship to support underrepresented minority medical students at Brown University by using the following link: https://go.brown.edu/GalenHendersonMemorialGifts

Arrangements by Chapman Funerals & Cremations – Wareham. For directions, livestreaming information, or to leave a message of condolence visit: www.chapmanfuneral.com