Personal

Disability

I had a severe stroke following brain surgery to treat a giant fusiform brain aneurysm in 1996.  I am able to walk with a walker, but more often use a wheelchair.  The stroke also affected my speech. 

In addition to the physical disabilities, I have been diagnosed with Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA), a neurologic disorder which is associated with becoming emotional easily and with exaggerated emotional responses.   As I like to tell my students, I do not tell jokes in class because I start laughing before I get to the punchline. I also cry and get frustrated unusually easily.

Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School

I am a member of the advisory board of the An Andover Newton Seminary at Yale, which was formally the oldest graduate school seminary in the country, and which merged with the Yale Divinity School (the merger was completed in 2023). 

Family

I am married to Kathryn Spier, the Domenico de Sole Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.  We have one son, James (or Jamie), who graduated from Harvard University. He currently works at Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard University.