Bertram Edward Sprofkin was born in Patterson, New Jersey on April 20, 1917. He received his undergraduate degree from the College of the City of New York in 1937. He obtained a Master of Science degree from Vanderbilt in 1938 and graduated from Vanderbilt's School of Medicine as Founder's Medalist in 1942. Following an internship in internal medicine, in 1943 he entered military service and served as a battalion surgeon for the 167th Infantry, 31st Division in the Pacific Campaign until 1946. From 1947 to 1950 he completed his residency training in internal medicine at Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins. He then took a residency at the Neurological Institute at Columbia University in New York finishing in 1952. He returned to Vanderbilt in 1952 and remained continuously on the faculty until retiring in 1991. Dr. Sprofkin was the first neurologist at Vanderbilt and taught neurology and neuropathology to several generations of Vanderbilt medical students. His relationship with Vanderbilt, as student and teacher, spanned more than 60 years. On March 1, 2000 Dr. Sprofkin was promoted to Clinical Professor of Neurology, Emeritus. He died January 25, 2001.