Honouring Aldo Vacca

We write to commend to the College fraternity the great clinician and innovator that our profession had in Dr Aldo Vacca AO. We were some of the lucky registrars to work alongside and to be trained by Aldo. He was committed to making us the best doctors we could be and we loved him dearly.

He was not only a master of obstetric intervention in the use of the vacuum cup, but also a doctor committed to evidence-based care while it was still in its early stages. He was warm and empathetic with his patients and showed, by example, that caring for pregnant women, simply and genuinely, in complex situations could be achieved by good communication, explanation and negotiation.

Aldo was a great initiator and knew, well ahead of his time, that digital teaching media was the way of the future. He and his wonderful wife Jan welcomed us (despite our junior status) warmly to their home. Aldo was a gifted leader and had an insatiable drive to benefit his patients and improve the care of all pregnant women around the globe. In addition, he was a remarkably humble man and as such he is among the great leaders of our profession.

We understand that, in his honour, a symposium will be held at the RCOG, in the UK, and we hope that our College does the same in memory of a great doctor, colleague, leader and innovator.

The cartoon of Dr Aldo Vacca that his registrars presented to him. Image reproduced and used with permission.