News

Published in 06 October 2023

Peter A Leggat (1961-2023)

The following memorial is adapted from a message sent to the Members of the Australian College of Tropical Medicine, by their president, Professor Colleen Lau, of the University of Queensland.

It is with great sadness that I am writing to inform you that Professor Peter Leggat, our Immediate Past President, passed away peacefully in Brisbane on 20 September 2023.

Peter was a much respected and beloved friend and colleague in the world of travel medicine and tropical medicine, and one of Australia’s greatest contributors to these fields. He has also been a wonderfully supportive and inspirational mentor for many in Australia and around the world. Always a gentleman, Peter’s quiet wisdom and calm guidance will be sorely missed by so many of us. Peter was a medical doctor, scholar, teacher, enabler, innovator, and most of all, a great leader. He had many talents, skills, areas of expertise, and countless accolades.

As a Founding Fellow of the ACTM in 1991, Peter contributed enormously to the College over many decades. He served five terms as President of the ACTM (1996-1998, 2002-2004, 2006-2008, 2016-2018, and 2020-2022), and held Executive positions as Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, and Dean of the ACTM Faculty of Travel Medicine. In 2016, he was instrumental in establishing the ACTM’s peer-reviewed journal, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, and as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, led the journal to achieve its first impact factor, an impressive 3.711. Peter presided over many ACTM meetings and conferences over the years, and was delighted with the highly successful Southern Cross Travel Medicine and Tropical Medicine Conference just a few weeks ago in Sydney.

After over 30 years of service at James Cook University (JCU), including many leadership roles, Peter recently retired as Professor Emeritus, and Director Emeritus of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Vector-borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases at JCU. As an academic researcher, Peter published over 500 journal papers (with over 9000 citations), more than 100 book chapters and 30 books, and presented over 400 papers at national and international conferences.

In addition to his leadership roles at the ACTM and JCU, he was Immediate Past President of the International Society of Travel Medicine, member of the Australasian Public Health Medicine Council, member of the Expanded Board of the International Federation for Tropical Medicine, Dean of Education for The Australasian College of Aerospace Medicine, Director of the World Safety Organization Collaborating Centre for Aerospace and Travel Health Safety, Distinguished International Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and a Fulbright Alumni Adviser to the Australian-American Fulbright Commission. Peter was also a Medical Officer in the Australian Army, a Colonel in the Australian Defence Force, and an Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General of Australia. Despite so many impressive achievements in such diverse fields, Peter was always unassuming, humble, gracious, congenial, and ready to share his wisdom.

Peter’s exceptional service to the community was recognised by many highly prestigious awards. In 2013, Peter was very deservedly recognised as a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to medicine as a specialist in the fields of tropical and travel medicine. And in 2021, Peter was honoured as a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John, and presented with the award at Government House in Canberra.

Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with Peter’s wife Pan, his father Bruce, and his family, friends and colleagues around the world. While we are all devastated about Peter’s sudden and unexpected passing, we will all have very fond memories of him as a cherished friend and amazing colleague.

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Published in 14 June 2018

Ogobara Doumbo (1956-2018)

Professor Ogobara K. Doumbo will have a lasting legacy both as a world class researcher in Tropical Medicine and parasitic diseases, and as an inspiring and elegant man having the energy necessary to develop the most important research team in West Africa. Modest and talented, Professor Ogobara K. Doumbo died on June 9, 2018, from complications of a surgery.

Professor Doumbo came from a village in the Circle of Koro, in the famous Dogon area of Mali. He kept from his roots a profound sense of reality and humanity. His willingness to learn lead him to move alone from his village to Bamako where he lived in his uncle family. He succeeded at school and university and decided to be a medical doctor and surgeon in remote area to be able to save people from his country.

At that time, he met Professor Philippe Ranque who built the first parasitology laboratory at the faculty of medicine of Bamako in 1972 and became Dr. Doumbo’s mentor. Thanks to him, “Ogo” went to Marseille, France, to get a second medical doctorate and to Montpellier, France, for his PhD. He completed his training with degrees in Immunology, biostatistics, and anthropology.

He went back to Bamako to succeed Professor Philippe Ranque. He founded the Malaria Research and Training Center (known as the MRTC) in 1992. He understood long before others that science in Africa required abroad training and secured position back to home institution. He sent his students to USA and France and welcomed them in Bamako after their PhD. He created an amazing network of colleagues and friends, researchers being seduced by his subtlety, keenness and extensive scientific culture.

He published hundreds of high level scientific papers and gave conferences and talks around the world. His scientific contribution is outstanding, and he received many national and international awards including the Christophe Mérieux Price, International Price from the French Institute of Medical Research and many others. He was elected as a member of the Malian Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of Medicine, and became International Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and board member of the International Federation of Tropical Medicine.

Apart from his academic contribution to the fight against tropical diseases, mostly malaria, he discreetly acted as a member of local, national and international non-governmental organisations to help poor people.

He was a great leader, a good husband and a good dad, as his wife said recently. Professor Doumbo was very keen to share his knowledge. People from his team was comparing his scientific culture to the rain: “when it’s raining everybody is wet”.

His energy, kindness and wise counsel will be remembered by many, especially the hundreds of younger academics and trainees from all over the world, he supported over his career. He didn’t have time to reach all his goals, but his team is rich of many successful and talented second to fifth generation scientists who will carry forward the banner of Malian tradition and International sciences.

Ogobara Doumbo's kindness, ideas and work ability also charmed his colleagues and partners of the IFTM Board, some of whom also benefited from his scientific collaboration in teaching and research activities in their countries. We shall miss him forever…

Professor Stephane Picot
Université de Lyon

>> Obituary Note

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Published in 14 April 2016

In Memoriam: Dr. Antonio D’Alessandro Bacigalupo

We sadly announce the passing of long time friend and colleague Antonio D’Alessandro in Buenos Aires, Argentina on February 28, 2016 where he had been in retirement since 2008. Antonio was born in Buenos Aires in 1926. Upon completing his Medical degree at the University of Buenos Aires in 1952, he began his graduate studies in the Department of Tropical Medicine at Tulane University receiving the MPHTM degree in 1957 and his Ph.D. in 1961. He was a member of the original group of students who studied under the tutelage of Professor Paul C. Beaver who succeeded Professor Ernest Carrol Faust as the Chair of the Department of Parasitology. After completing his doctoral studies, Antonio joined the faculty as the Scientist/Administrator of the U.S. NIH sponsored Tulane International Center for Medical Research and Training (ICMRT) in Cali, Colombia in association with the Universidad de Valle in Cali. He continued in that position for 23 years. The ICMRT program evolved into the Centro Internacional de Investigaciones Medicas (CIDEIM/ICIDR). His own research studies focused on American trypanosomiasis and polycystic hydatid disease. Following his return to Tulane in 1984, he participated in the teaching program of the Department of Tropical Medicine and served ably as Acting Chairman of the Department from 1985-1988. In 2008, after retirement as Emeritus Professor, Antonio and his wife Rachel moved back to Buenos Aires. While in Colombia, Antonio developed a deep admiration for Pre-Colombian art and amassed a magnificent collection of ceramics and other artifacts which he beautifully displayed in his residences. Recently, Antonio donated his collections to Fundacion Costantini, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires where it can now be enjoyed by the public. Antonio was preceded in death by his wife Rachel in 2012 whom he met while both were students at Tulane. They were married for 52 years. He is survived by daughter Marcella and son Antonio Juan both of whom live in the United States. Antonio will be deeply missed by friends and colleagues from around the world.

Lawrence R. Ash
Thomas C. Orihel

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Jacinto Convit (1913-2014)

Venezuelan scientist and physician Doctor Jacinto Convit, pioneer in the development of a vaccine against leprosy, has died last Monday May 12th, 2014, at the age of 100. Dr. Convit, who was born in 1913 in Caracas, Venezuela was inspired since his early days in medical school to fight against the stigmatisation of leprosy patients, and devoted his life to work in the finding of an immunotherapeutic vaccine against this disease. In addition, he also pioneered in the development of a vaccine against cutaneous leishmaniasis. Dr. Convit was the founder of the Instituto de Biomedicina, a Pan American Health Organization Research and Training Center for Leprosy and other Tropical Diseases based in Caracas, where he dedicated much of his life on finding ways to improve the health of people in isolated and remote areas of Venezuela and around the world.

He was a full time Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad Central de Venezuela and was awarded with the Prince of Asturias Prize in Science (1987), the French Legion of Honor, The Medal “Health for All” (2000), the Abraham Horwitz Prize for leadership in Inter-American Health, the Alfred Soper Award; he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine (1988), named “Hero of Health” by the Panamerican Health Organization and was also included among the 65 Caring Physicians of the World by the World Medical Association.

After 100 years of a life dedicated to humanity, Dr. Convit leaves an inspiring legacy for the years to come. His fearless fight against leprosy will remain a milestone in the history of Tropical Medicine. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with him have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor.

Alberto Panis-Mendolfi (New Haven, USA) and Santiago Mas-Coma (Valencia, Spain)

Published in 17 May 2014

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Pierre Ambroise-Thomas (1937 – 2014)

We have just learnt the death of our colleague and beloved friend, Professor Pierre Ambroise-Thomas (MD 1963, DSc 1969).

Pierre was Honorary Professor of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine at the Faculté de Médecine de Grenoble (France), and former Head of the Service of Parasitology-Mycology at the Hospital Medical School in the same city. He was Honorary President of the French Academy of Medicine, member of the French Academy of Pharmacy, and Honorary Member of the Brazilian Academy of Medicine. He has held several important administrative and political positions in many French Institutions devoted to the Health and Sciences as the Ministry of Health, the National Council of the Universities, and the Scientific Councils of CNRS and of ORSTOM (presently the IRD).

In addition, he was Member of the Board of European Societies of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Past President of the Société de Pathologie Exotique and member of several Tropical Medicine Societies. Acting as an Expert for the World Health Organization since 1974, he was appointed by the General Director to the Strategic Technical Advisory Group in charge of counseling the WHO in the Fight against neglected tropical diseases.

Professor Pierre Ambroise-Thomas taught in France (at Grenoble and many other universities) as well as in several foreign countries (in Europe, North Africa, Africa, and Asia). He was Honoris causa Professor at the Medical University of Shanghai, where he taught for almost 30 years. His research activities encompassed mainly the immunology of malaria, toxoplasmosis, and several other opportunistic parasitic and mycotic diseases, as well as the treatment of malaria by artemisinins combined therapies (ACT). These research works generated more than 350 publications in indexed journals, around 1,000 publication in French journals or communications at National and International Conferences and 14 books (including the volume “Infectious and parasitic diseases onto the Dictionary of the Académie Nationale de Médecine de France”).

Wishing to finalize the research at the bench with the work in the field, Professor Ambroise-Thomas has conducted – in more than 60 different countries and frequently to the WHO – numerous missions on the main parasitic diseases (malaria, amebiasis, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and lymphatic filariasis). He organized the XVI International Congress on Tropical Medicine and Malaria in Marseille (France) in 2005.

He leaves behind his loved wife Colette, seven children and sixteen grandchildren.

Published in 16 March 2014

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Alexandre Peixoto

With 50 years old, Alexander Afrânio Peixoto was at the height of his intellectual activity at the forefront of the research on genetics of insects in the Institute Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/Fiocruz). As Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Insects, Peixoto led studies on the behavioral aspects of vectors to tropical diseases, as Leishmaniasis, Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Yellow Fever. In parallel, he coordinated the Post-Graduate Strictu-sensu Program on Molecular and Cellular Biology at IOC, leading to the formation of MSc and PhD students in six lines of research. He passed away on February 10th, in a tragic accident in the city of Itaipava, Rio de Janeiro. Accompanying a friend, Alexandre went down a river next to the Mar de Espanha (Sea of Spain) on a canoe, a practice similar to rafting, when the boat collided with a rock and capsized, leaving him trapped under a waterfall.

For the scientific community, Alexandre leaves a legacy of more than 70 articles, 18 Masters of Sc and 14 PhD students formed under his orientation. The 16 years of exclusive dedication to the IOC had guaranteed him countless admirers, amongst pupils and partners of research, who joined his wife and two children in the moan of his early departure.

Described as having a good nature and being generous, Alexandre graduated in Ecology at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) (Federal University of Rio De Janeiro), with Master Degree in Biological Sciences, PhD in Genetics for the University of Leicester, in the United Kingdom, and Post Doctorate for the Brandeis University, in the United States. He had also the title of Researcher Level 1A, and Head of the research group on Molecular Genetics of the Behavior in Insects to the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPq - National Board of Research (CNPq), in addition to having received international recognition through the editions 2002 and 2007 of the International Program of Academic Research of the Medical Institute Howard Hughes. Reviewer of more than a set of ten scientific journals, including Plos One and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, he was also member of the Publishing Advice of the Journal Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Memories of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute).

Published in 20 February 2013

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Neglected tropical diseases
In memoriam Dr Peter F. Beales

"It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of our colleague and friend, Dr Peter F. Beales (WHO)".

http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/memoriam_peter_beales/en/index.html

Published in 09 January 2013