McCARLEY, Robert W., MD A world-renowned and award-winning researcher Of Newton, Massachusetts, passed unexpectedly on Saturday May 27, 2017 at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife Alice McCarley, two sons Robert V. McCarley, M.D. (46) and Scott W. McCarley (44), and seven grandchildren. Robert McCarley was an accomplished physician, scientist, husband, father, and grandfather. Born and raised in Mayfield, Kentucky, he moved to Cambridge to attend Harvard College where he was a National Scholar and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He went on to be a National Scholar at Harvard Medical School, a Fulbright scholar in Germany, and completed a medical residency in psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston. A world-renowned and award-winning researcher clinically trained in psychiatry, he pursued an interest in Neuroscience and Basic Science and produced seminal work in the fields of Sleep and Schizophrenia, including over 450 scientific articles and chapters of academic books. He held numerous appointments, most recently as Associate Director of the Mental Health Service and Director of the Laboratory of Neuroscience, as well as Professor and Head of Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry of the VA Boston Healthcare System. His research helped to support a number of labs. He was a thoughtful advisor and mentor to graduate and medical students, as well as early career researchers. He remained astonishingly active in his career throughout his life. In addition to his passion for learning and his work, Robert McCarley was committed to his family. He was a wonderful husband, a caring father and friend to Rob and Scott, and a loving grandfather to Emma McCarley (13), Maddie McCarley (12), Amelia McCarley (10), Callie McCarley (8), Harper McCarley (3), Ian McCarley (7), and June McCarley (5). He loved to travel, sought out the opera and theater, and was a competitive tennis player for much of his life. He had a passion for automobiles, computers and computer science, and for the field psychiatry. He will be dearly missed and was deeply loved by his family and those who knew him. In lieu of flowers, donations will be encouraged to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (donorservices@nami.org or call 1-888-999NAMI). Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 1 in Newton, MA. Beginning at 9:30am, a visitation will be held at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish (573 Washington Street, Newton). This will be followed by a 10:30am Mass at the same location, and a gathering for all friends and family at the home of Scott McCarley in Newtonville immediately following service.








































Robert W. McCarley, MD, of Newton, Massachusetts, passed unexpectedly on Saturday May 27, 2017 at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife Alice McCarley, two sons Robert V. McCarley, M.D. (46) and Scott W. McCarley (44), and seven grandchildren.  


Robert McCarley was an accomplished physician, scientist, husband, father, and grandfather. Born and raised in Mayfield, Kentucky, he moved to Cambridge to attend Harvard College where he was a National Scholar and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He went on to be a National Scholar at Harvard Medical School, a Fulbright scholar in Germany, and completed a medical residency in psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston. A world-renowned and award-winning researcher clinically trained in psychiatry, he pursued an interest in Neuroscience and Basic Science and produced seminal work in the fields of Sleep and Schizophrenia, including over 450 scientific articles and chapters of academic books. He held numerous appointments, most recently as Associate Director of the Mental Health Service and Director of the Laboratory of Neuroscience, as well as Professor and Head of Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry of the VA Boston Healthcare System. His research helped to support a number of labs. He was a thoughtful advisor and mentor to graduate and medical students, as well as early career researchers. He remained astonishingly active in his career throughout his life.


In addition to his passion for learning and his work, Robert McCarley was committed to his family. He was a wonderful husband, a caring father and friend to Rob and Scott, and a loving grandfather to Emma McCarley (13), Maddie McCarley (12), Amelia McCarley (10), Callie McCarley (8), Harper McCarley (3), Ian McCarley (7), and June McCarley (5). He loved to travel, sought out the opera and theater, and was a competitive tennis player for much of his life. He had a passion for automobiles, computers and computer science, and for the field psychiatry.


He will be dearly missed and was deeply loved by his family and those who knew him.


In lieu of flowers, donations will be encouraged to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (donorservices@nami.org or call 1-888-999NAMI).


Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 1 in Newton, MA. Beginning at 9:30am, a visitation will be held at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish (573 Washington Street, Newton). This will be followed by a 10:30am Mass at the same location, and a gathering for all friends and family at the home of Scott McCarley in Newtonville immediately following Service.