Dr. Frederick R. Cohen (z”l), a professor of mathematics at the University of Rochester, passed on January 16, 2022, at the age of 76. In the late 1970’s he was afflicted by a spinal tumor that nearly killed him. Intense radiation therapy saved him but left him partially paralyzed for the rest of his life. In 2013 he progressed to relying on a wheelchair for mobility. However, these difficulties did not stop him from pursuing an intense mathematical career. He was a force of nature who breathed and slept mathematics. He never stopped writing papers, attending conferences (before covid), and supervising students. He was an inspiring teacher, winning a Goergen Teaching Award from the University of Rochester. He had 18 Ph.D. students and nearly 150 published papers. Algebraic topologists around the world will miss him. Superficial siderosis was posthumously identified, so in honoring Dr. Cohen, the Harry and Helen Cohen Charitable Foundation recognizes the importance of raising awareness of this rare disorder.

We are so pleased to have the Harry and Helen Cohen Chariatble Foundation join our alliance as a Founders’ level donor. Rare disease is difficult to raise funding for research because of the fact we do not have large numbers of people to spread the word. Every person that is affected or related to someone is very important to our mission goals of building awareness so one day we will be able to find more treatment options for those with SS.

We express our sincere gratitude to the Harry and Helen Cohen Charitable Foundation for their generosity to the SSRA family.

– Kyle Dempsey, President