Dr. Aldo R. Castañeda
July 17, 1930 – April 30, 2021
We announce with sorrow the passing of the Apollonian surgeon, Aldo R. Castañeda. On behalf of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, we express our profound gratitude for having blazed the trail for your students and colleagues and helped the lives of so many children around the world! We present our sincere condolences to his wife, Arcely, his children, Claudia, Silvana and Aldo and to all grieving this loss.
Farewell and Godspeed, dear teacher and esteemed colleague!
— WSPCHS Governing Council
We have unlocked the full interview we did with Dr. Castaneda in 2010. You can watch it here.
The vision of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery is that every child born anywhere in the world with a congenital heart defect should have access to appropriate medical and surgical care.
World Journal becomes the official journal of CHSS and ECHSA
If you are a paid-up member you can access full-text of these articles through https://www.wspchs.org.
It is with sadness that we announce the passing on December 13, of the legendary surgeon, Bill Norwood. On behalf of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, we thank you Bill for your immense contributions, Farewell, and Godspeed!
WSPCHS Governing Council
Below is a heartfelt message from his colleague and close friend, Marshall Jacobs.
“I write to let you know that Bill Norwood passed away on the evening of December 13, 2020.
Bill and Jodee moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico about three years ago.
Having spent part of his youth in Los Alamos (just 60 miles from Albuquerque), Bill was drawn to the area. He and Jodee loved the geography and the climate in the semi-desert foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Fortunately, they have been visited often by close friends and family.
Bill's passing leaves a tremendous void, in a space occupied for nearly eight decades by one of the true giants in the field of surgery, and a great friend and very special mentor to so many of us.
Isaac Newton is quoted as saying: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye sholders of Giants."
Bill was truly a giant in this respect. His genius, his determination, his skill and his generosity have touched so many of us. And individuals in all parts of the world who are engaged in the care of patients with congenital heart disease have "seen further" and been more effective in their work because of Bill's enormous and countless contributions.
Thank you Bill...thank you and farewell!”
Dr. Marshall Jacobs
If you are a paid-up member you can access full-text of these articles through https://www.wspchs.org.
Published: November 12, 2020.
Online first
Brandon M. Wojcik; Taufiek K. Rajab; Shanna Newman; James Jaggers; Max B. Mitchell
Published: October 20, 2020.
Online first
Abdul Rauf; Reena K. Joshi; Neeraj Aggarwal; Mridul Agarwal; Manendra Kumar; Veronique Dinand; Raja Joshi
During the last several months, our community has experienced unprecedented changes not only in the way we conduct clinical practice, but also in the fashion with which we live our daily lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our existence, with over one million individuals having succumbed to the virus worldwide. However, we will endure these historic events and become better, as a global community, than ever before. The leadership of the World Database for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery wishes to express our deepest thoughts and prayers to all our colleagues who have experienced personal and professional tragedies as a result of this pandemic. Through the hardship and suffering, a renewed sense of comradery and collaboration has emerged. Societies across the globe, particularly those dedicated to the care of congenital heart disease, have shared experiences, provided tangible support, and cared for each other during these challenging times. We need to continue to pull together as a community; it is the only way we will be successful in defeating this insult to humanity.
Sincerely,
James K. Kirklin, Database Chair
James D. St. Louis, Database Vice Chair/Secretary
Erle Austen, Chair, CHSS Quality Committee
Robert Dabal, WDPCHS Quality Committee
Marcelo B. Jatene, WSPCHS President
Christo I. Tchervenkov, WSPCHS Executive Director
If you are a paid-up member you can access full-text of these articles through https://www.wspchs.org.
I am honored and privileged to have been elected as your President. I cannot be but very proud of what this thriving society has achieved in such a short time. We have had many excellent scientific meetings around the globe covering a wide range of topics. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World University was established and already held a very successful first webinar. The World Database is growing. The Global Council on Education for Congenital Heart Surgery has conducted multiple town hall meetings and is preparing a very important manuscript. The World Journal, the only journal dedicated to Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, under the leadership of Marshall Jacobs, has taken significant strides establishing itself as one of the leading journals in our specialty. With the World Society’s help and guidance, the African Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery was recently established.
This would not have been possible without the tremendous efforts and dedication of our 1st President and now Executive Director, Christo Tchervenkov, working together with our past presidents, the Executive Committee and the Governing Council making the World Society one of a kind. I express my sincere thanks to all of you, to Christo, to our other ex-presidents, Giovanni Stellin, Hiromi Kurosawa, Richard Jonas and Marcelo Jatene and promise to carry on their legacy. Special thanks to Marshall Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief and to Adam Becker, our Manager.
I am grateful for the tremendous opportunity and for your support. I look forward to serving with enthusiasm to ensure a great future and continued success of our society and for our patients! Sincerely,
Zohair Y. Al Halees, MD, MSC, FACC, FRCSC, FACS
President, World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery
Chairman, Governing Council & Executive Committee
Advisor of Cardiovascular Services to the CEO
Distinguished Senior Cardiac Surgeon / Consultant, Heart Centre
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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