- Email: [email protected]
Prof. Carlo Procacci
Obituary Pancreatology 2004;4:63–64
Published online: March 9, 2004
Prof. Carlo Procacci 1950–2003
It is with great sorrow that, on behalf of the Faculty of Medicine of Verona University and the Pancreatic Multidisciplinary Team of the Borgo Roma University Hospital G.B. Rossi, we announce the premature death of the Prof. Carlo Procacci. Born in Corato in 1950 he enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Bari University and graduated in 1974 with full marks and honors. For the academic year 1974–1975, he enrolled in the Verona branch of the Diagnostic Radiology Specialization School at Padua University obtaining his postgraduate diploma in 1977, again with full marks and honors. He was hospital assistant from 1975 to 1979 at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of Padua University, Verona branch (until 1982) and hospital assistant at Verona University from 1980 to 1988 (November 1982). He qualified as Head of Diagnostic Radiology in 1985, and officially qualified as Assistant Professor of Radiology in 1987. Since 1988 he held the position of Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Verona University in the Department of Radiology. From 1987 he was also a temporary lecturer teaching Radiological Anatomy to second-year students in the Medicine and Surgery Degree Course. In 1998 he became a Full Professor of Radiological Anatomy. He was Director of the Radiology Department at the G.B. Rossi Hospital in Verona from 1999, and from this same time he was also Director of the Radiodiagnostic School and held the official lessons on ‘Diagnostics by Imaging’ for the fifth-year students in the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery. In 2002 he became Director of the Department of Morphological and Biomedical Science at Verona University. in 1978 he won the Prof. P. Perona Academic
ABC
© 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel 1424–3903/04/0041–0063$21.00/0
Fax + 41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail [email protected] www.karger.com
Accessible online at: www.karger.com/pan
Year Scholarship in Radiological Specialization at Padua University. He won the Luigi Pigorini Prize for Thoracic Radiology in 1989. He was a member of the Italian Medical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Association from 1978. He was a Member of the European Radiology Association (EAR) and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), active Member of the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) and Secretary of the CT Section of the Italian Medical Radiology Society, Vice President of the Thoracic Radiology Section and Vice President of the Venice Region Group of the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM). He was counselor of the SIRM with the position
Claudio Bassi, MD Surgical and Gastroenterological Department Hospital ‘G.B. Rossi’, University of Verona IT–37134 Verona (Italy) Tel. +39 045 8074553/2, Fax +39 045 8201294, E-Mail [email protected]
of Study Section Coordinator and a member of the Management Council of the P. Perona Association for PostUniversity Radiological Updating. He was President of the Veronese Radiological Course Association from January 2000, and in this role he organized numerous national and international scientific meetings. Lastly, he was a referee for the following journals: Journal of Computed Assisted Tomography (USA); European Radiology; Pancreatology; La Radiologia Medica, and Italian Current Radiology (Italy). He wrote 113 original works, contributed to 54 books, wrote 184 abstracts, most of which have been published in international journals and books, and two monographs. One monograph is entitled ‘Vade-mecum on axial computerized tomography of the thorax’, and it was thanks to this work that he won the Luigi Pigorini Prize for Thoracic Radiology. The second monograph is titled ‘Imaging of the pancreas – cystic and rare tumors’ and has only recently been published (2003). Last but not least he spoke at more than 260 meetings and conferences around the world. His major scientific interests concerned new imaging techniques, especially computerized tomography and magnetic resonance, and pathologies of the thorax and abdomen with particular focus on the pancreas. While it is easy to list all of Prof. Procacci’s admirable professional experiences, it is much harder to communicate his human values. He was an tireless worker always ready with a witty remark and a smile, and always prepared for an in-depth discussion of every clinical case. He loved meeting clinical and histopathological colleagues to reach a better understanding of things. The relationship between pathology and basic evidence medicine was his ‘obsession’. We learned a lot with him during our long Thursday afternoon multidisciplinary meetings. It was exciting and stimulating working with him to put together the various aspects of intraductal tumor, duodenal wall dystrophic cystic chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune pancreatitis and many other topics of pancreatic disease, all of which helped us to face clinical problems and to improved our approach to patients. He did not just merely ‘photograph’ his patients, but carefully and keenly followed their clinical evolution taking part both in the success and disappointments of his colleagues. Here too is proof of his humanity, he firmly believed in working as a team, so that it was not surprising to see him in an operating theater or histopathology laboratory seeking a better understanding of the relationship between anatomy and clinical signs.
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Pancreatology 2004;4:63–64
As already mentioned, he was a hard worker and, as always happen with a indefatigable boss, one can readily understand the standards he required from his radiology team. As surgeons we were never refused a request, even in the middle of the night and always with extreme efficiency and good spirit. Prof. Procacci was very demanding but at the same time close to his collaborators, whom he cared for right up to his last days and of whom he was very proud. One day he confessed that the most gratifying moments at work for him were those in which he discussed matters with his junior doctors and taught them. I can still remember the enthusiasm with which he agreed to enter the editorial board of our journal. Personally, I have lost a friend, who taught us how to accept our human frailties with great dignity, so it is with deep sorrow that I have rediscovered the meaning of crying for a dear one. The feeling, therefore, is that the seeds that he has sown will give abundant fruits, particularly among his beloved children and certainly in the enlarged family of his younger assistants. With an unspoken agreement during his illness, our multidisciplinary meetings were adjourned, but now, in his memory, we will resume them with greater determination. Prof. Procacci’s work lives on in our efforts to fight against the ‘silent killer’ because we have lost one battle but in the end, together with Carlo, we shall win the fight. Claudio Bassi
Obituary
Published online: March 9, 2004
Prof. Carlo Procacci 1950–2003
It is with great sorrow that, on behalf of the Faculty of Medicine of Verona University and the Pancreatic Multidisciplinary Team of the Borgo Roma University Hospital G.B. Rossi, we announce the premature death of the Prof. Carlo Procacci. Born in Corato in 1950 he enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Bari University and graduated in 1974 with full marks and honors. For the academic year 1974–1975, he enrolled in the Verona branch of the Diagnostic Radiology Specialization School at Padua University obtaining his postgraduate diploma in 1977, again with full marks and honors. He was hospital assistant from 1975 to 1979 at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of Padua University, Verona branch (until 1982) and hospital assistant at Verona University from 1980 to 1988 (November 1982). He qualified as Head of Diagnostic Radiology in 1985, and officially qualified as Assistant Professor of Radiology in 1987. Since 1988 he held the position of Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Verona University in the Department of Radiology. From 1987 he was also a temporary lecturer teaching Radiological Anatomy to second-year students in the Medicine and Surgery Degree Course. In 1998 he became a Full Professor of Radiological Anatomy. He was Director of the Radiology Department at the G.B. Rossi Hospital in Verona from 1999, and from this same time he was also Director of the Radiodiagnostic School and held the official lessons on ‘Diagnostics by Imaging’ for the fifth-year students in the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery. In 2002 he became Director of the Department of Morphological and Biomedical Science at Verona University. in 1978 he won the Prof. P. Perona Academic
ABC
© 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel 1424–3903/04/0041–0063$21.00/0
Fax + 41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail [email protected] www.karger.com
Accessible online at: www.karger.com/pan
Year Scholarship in Radiological Specialization at Padua University. He won the Luigi Pigorini Prize for Thoracic Radiology in 1989. He was a member of the Italian Medical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Association from 1978. He was a Member of the European Radiology Association (EAR) and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), active Member of the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) and Secretary of the CT Section of the Italian Medical Radiology Society, Vice President of the Thoracic Radiology Section and Vice President of the Venice Region Group of the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM). He was counselor of the SIRM with the position
Claudio Bassi, MD Surgical and Gastroenterological Department Hospital ‘G.B. Rossi’, University of Verona IT–37134 Verona (Italy) Tel. +39 045 8074553/2, Fax +39 045 8201294, E-Mail [email protected]
of Study Section Coordinator and a member of the Management Council of the P. Perona Association for PostUniversity Radiological Updating. He was President of the Veronese Radiological Course Association from January 2000, and in this role he organized numerous national and international scientific meetings. Lastly, he was a referee for the following journals: Journal of Computed Assisted Tomography (USA); European Radiology; Pancreatology; La Radiologia Medica, and Italian Current Radiology (Italy). He wrote 113 original works, contributed to 54 books, wrote 184 abstracts, most of which have been published in international journals and books, and two monographs. One monograph is entitled ‘Vade-mecum on axial computerized tomography of the thorax’, and it was thanks to this work that he won the Luigi Pigorini Prize for Thoracic Radiology. The second monograph is titled ‘Imaging of the pancreas – cystic and rare tumors’ and has only recently been published (2003). Last but not least he spoke at more than 260 meetings and conferences around the world. His major scientific interests concerned new imaging techniques, especially computerized tomography and magnetic resonance, and pathologies of the thorax and abdomen with particular focus on the pancreas. While it is easy to list all of Prof. Procacci’s admirable professional experiences, it is much harder to communicate his human values. He was an tireless worker always ready with a witty remark and a smile, and always prepared for an in-depth discussion of every clinical case. He loved meeting clinical and histopathological colleagues to reach a better understanding of things. The relationship between pathology and basic evidence medicine was his ‘obsession’. We learned a lot with him during our long Thursday afternoon multidisciplinary meetings. It was exciting and stimulating working with him to put together the various aspects of intraductal tumor, duodenal wall dystrophic cystic chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune pancreatitis and many other topics of pancreatic disease, all of which helped us to face clinical problems and to improved our approach to patients. He did not just merely ‘photograph’ his patients, but carefully and keenly followed their clinical evolution taking part both in the success and disappointments of his colleagues. Here too is proof of his humanity, he firmly believed in working as a team, so that it was not surprising to see him in an operating theater or histopathology laboratory seeking a better understanding of the relationship between anatomy and clinical signs.
64
Pancreatology 2004;4:63–64
As already mentioned, he was a hard worker and, as always happen with a indefatigable boss, one can readily understand the standards he required from his radiology team. As surgeons we were never refused a request, even in the middle of the night and always with extreme efficiency and good spirit. Prof. Procacci was very demanding but at the same time close to his collaborators, whom he cared for right up to his last days and of whom he was very proud. One day he confessed that the most gratifying moments at work for him were those in which he discussed matters with his junior doctors and taught them. I can still remember the enthusiasm with which he agreed to enter the editorial board of our journal. Personally, I have lost a friend, who taught us how to accept our human frailties with great dignity, so it is with deep sorrow that I have rediscovered the meaning of crying for a dear one. The feeling, therefore, is that the seeds that he has sown will give abundant fruits, particularly among his beloved children and certainly in the enlarged family of his younger assistants. With an unspoken agreement during his illness, our multidisciplinary meetings were adjourned, but now, in his memory, we will resume them with greater determination. Prof. Procacci’s work lives on in our efforts to fight against the ‘silent killer’ because we have lost one battle but in the end, together with Carlo, we shall win the fight. Claudio Bassi
Obituary