Thomas McCauley MD’82, 67, died May 31, 2023. He was a clinical assistant professor of surgery at Brown.
Born in Providence, Dr. McCauley graduated from Boston College before coming to Brown for medical school, then completed his ophthalmology residency at Yale. Known as “Dr. Tom,” he practiced in Warwick, RI, in addition to his clinical faculty appointment.
Dr. McCauley is survived by his best friend and life partner, Michele Palazzolo, and several cousins. Donations in his memory may be made to St. Jude’s Children Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, www.stjude.org/donate.
Louise Sadler Kiessling Fair MD’76, P’78, 89, died Oct. 12, 2023. She was a professor of pediatrics and of family medicine at Brown. Dr. Kiessling, as she was known professionally, was a graduate of Barnard College, and held a master’s degree from Cornell in psychology and counseling. She worked as a psychologist and social worker in New York public schools before attending medical school. As a developmental and behavioral pediatrician, she spent a long, distinguished career tending to the needs of vulnerable children throughout Rhode Island.
She served as pediatrician-in-chief at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket for nearly 20 years, and was the founder and director of the hospital’s Neurodevelopmental Center. Dr. Kiessling is survived by her two stepdaughters.
Please send contributions in her memory to the Washington County Coalition for Children, c/o Wood River Health, 823 Main St., Hope Valley, RI 02832; HopeHealth Hospice at www.HopeHealthCo.org/InMemory or 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904; or Reach Out and Read Rhode Island at rorri.org/support or 134 Thurbers Ave., Suite 207, Providence, RI 02905.
Richard D. Frary, MD, 93, died Oct. 16, 2023. He was an early member of the Brown medical school faculty. Born in Dover, NH, Dr. Frary graduated from Amherst College and from Boston University School of Medicine. Following two years of medical residency at Boston City Hospital, he joined the US Navy and was assigned to the Naval Hospital in St. Albans, NY, where he spent two years on the Tuberculosis Service. He then came to Rhode Island to complete another year of an internal medicine residency and a fellowship in cardiology at Rhode Island Hospital. He practiced in Rhode Island until his retirement in 1994.
Dr. Frary worked tirelessly to stay up to date with the latest medical advances, and always had a stack of periodicals and newsletters beside his easy chair in his den. He greatly enjoyed trips abroad with his wife, and visits to and from their grandchildren were the high point of his retirement. He was always loyal to his Red Sox and Patriots, and had said, “When I’m gone, they’ll have to get along without me.” Dr. Frary is survived by his wife of 68 years, Joan Scott Frary; three sons; and six grandchildren.
Lisa Ganley-Leal, PhD, 56, died Nov. 9, 2023. She was an assistant professor of pediatrics at Brown. Dr. Ganley-Leal was an accomplished research scientist with many published works pertaining to human immunology and infectious disease. She received her doctorate in immunology from the University of Connecticut, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She conducted field studies in Kenya throughout numerous visits, which would lead to a collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute. She continued her research at Boston University School of Medicine and then at The Warren Alpert Medical School. Most recently, Dr. Ganley- Leal’s years of expertise led to consulting in drug and vaccine development and pandemic preparedness.
She is survived by her parents, her two brothers and their respective families, as well as extended family, friends, and loved ones.
Galen V. Henderson MD’93, 56, died Dec. 26, 2023, following an illness. He was the first African American neurointensivist in the United States and a Trustee on the Corporation of Brown University, where he leaves a legacy of impact.
Born in Memphis, TN, and raised in Tunica, MS, Dr. Henderson came to Brown through the Early Identification Program with Tougaloo College. In medical school he met Vanessa Britto RES’89 F’91 MMSc’96, MD; they married in 1993 during Commencement Weekend.
Dr. Henderson completed his neurology residency and a fellowship in stroke and neurocritical care at Harvard Medical School. He then joined the staff of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he was the director of Neurocritical Care and the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit as well as the chief diversity and inclusion officer. An assistant professor of neurology at Harvard, his research focused on clinical trials for treatments of stroke and cerebral hemorrhage.
A nationally recognized expert on the diagnosis of brain death and managing critical care issues related to organ donation, Dr. Henderson was the associate medical director of two federally designated organ procurement organizations.
He received three Health and Human Services awards for his contributions to the development of the Organ Donation National Collaborative. He lectured at the Neurocritical Care Society and the American Academy of Neurology and was the founding deputy editor of Journal Watch Neurology and editor of Reprints in Stroke.
Dr. Henderson always made time for Brown. He served two terms on the Corporation, was president of the Brown Medical Alumni Association, and was the first Medical School alumnus to serve as president of the Brown Alumni Association. In 2014, he received the Brown Bear Award for his distinguished service to the University. In 2021, Dr. Henderson was the inaugural recipient of the Medical School’s Senior Alumni Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for his work to increase the number of women and physicians from underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine.
Dr. Henderson’s legacy will continue to make the world a better place for generations through his patients and their families and the students he taught and mentored. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Vanessa Britto; his mother, sister, grandfather, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, godchildren, extended family, and lifelong friends. Donations in his memory may be made to The Galen V. Henderson MD’93 and Vanessa M. Britto, MD MMSc’96 Medical Scholarship, go.brown.edu/GalenHendersonMemorialGifts.
