Betty Q. Banker

Medical training

Banker did her neurology residency at Boston City Hospital under Derek Denny-Brown (1901-1981), with whom she wrote the paper “Amorphosynthesis from Left Parietal Lesion” published in 1954.

In 1953, she became a neuropathology resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. With neuropathologist Raymond Delacy Adams (1911-2008) and neurologist Maurice Victor (1920-2001), she published papers on muscular dystrophy and multiple myeloma.

Seminal work in neuropathology

Spinal muscular atrophy, first described by Johann Hoffmann and Guido Werdnig in the early 1890s, was described both clinically and pathologically by Banker and Randolph Byers. They presented their work at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in 1960 and published in 1961. According to Banker's obituary, the 1961 article “masterfully described the pathology and clinical features of the disease, showed that the outcome varied directly with age at onset, and correctly predicted that the infantile and childhood forms of spinal muscular atrophy and of adult-onset proximal muscle atrophy were facets of the same disease.”

In 1986, Banker coauthored a 2-volume textbook with Andrew Engel, titled Myology: Basic and Clinical,, which won the 1986 Book Award of the American Medical Writers Association.

She was active in the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America and held many roles, including Vice President and member of the Scientific Advisory Committee. In 1990, the association named a research fellowship in her honor.

While she specialized in the neuropathology of pediatric neuromuscular disease, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and arthrogryposis, she also published on intracranial infections, dermatomyositis, leukodystrophy, neonatal hypoxia and central pontine myelinolysis.

Personal life

In 1956, she married neurologist Maurice Victor, best known for coauthoring the textbook Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology with Raymond Delacy Adams, first published by McGraw in 1977. They had one son.

She is remembered as a “teacher of infinite patience,” but “demanding to the point of perfection.”

Honors and awards

• 1966: Weil Award for Best Paper on Experimental Neuropathology Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neuropathology
• 1983: Child Neurology Society Hower Award
• 1986: Book Award of the American Medical Writers Association
• 1990: Muscular Dystrophy Association names "Betty Q. Banker Research Fellowship" in her honor
• 2011: MetroHealth Medical Hall of Honor