In Memory
of
Louise Greenswag, RN, PhD
The IPWSO Boards were saddened to learn of the death of Louise Greenswag on April 10th. Louise worked tirelessly for us all in the world of Prader-Willi syndrome and was a pioneer in the study of behaviour and management co-authoring the first and second editions of "Management of Prader-Willi Syndrome" with Randall Alexander. We extend our condolences and sympathy to Louise's family
Joan Gardner, IPWSO Adviser, friend and colleague of Louise's wrote,
"It is with sadness that we share the passing of Louise Greenswag, who dedicated her life to improving the lives of our children who have Prader-Willi Syndrome and their families. Louise had a special gift of communicating the difficult realities and critical behavioral management techniques in a supportive manner whether our child was a baby or adult. Her pioneering work underpins today’s standards.
She organized and co-edited the first definitive text book about Prader-Willi Syndrome in 1988: Management of Prader-Willi Syndrome. She served on the PWSA USA board of directors from 1985-1997. She co-organized the first international conference on PWS in The Netherlands in 1991. This gave rise to IPWSO, the international PWS organization. Louise generously shared her knowledge and expertise. She participated in more than three decades of US conferences, spoke at state chapter meetings frequently, and traveled to many other countries to train their families and professionals is the special needs of PWS."
Louise trained as a Registered Nurse and under the guidance of Hans Zellweger (a Swiss-American paediatrician whose work contributed to the Zellweger syndrome) wrote her thesis on the study of 232 Adults with PWS in the USA. She did this because a family member's sister had PWS and little was known about it. This early work has been a cornerstone in the research of PWS and years of unparalleled work by Louise followed.
Louise last attended our IPWSO board meeting in Laggio de Vigo di Cadore, Italy, May 2011. Her interest in PWS, in our children and families was always strong. She always asked after them, never forgetting a name. Her friendship to us all will not be forgotten.