In Memory of Nicola Scopinaro: a Great Friend and Mentor
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OBITUARY
In Memory of Nicola Scopinaro: a Great Friend and Mentor Luigi Angrisani 1 Published online: 17 November 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Nicola Scopinaro, MD, FACS (Hon) 1945–2020 I met Nicola Scopinaro in 1995 in Todi, a small and enchanting medieval town in Umbria, central Italy, during a hands-on-course on lap band. Many of us young Italian “laparoscopic surgeons” were there, eager to learn laparoscopic techniques and its application to obesity surgery. He was there as a witness of the national and international surgical academy, with profound classic knowledge of the discipline that he himself was trying to shape and establish. Listening to his presentations, we were extremely impressed by his rigorous modern scientific method and detailed knowledge of whatever was under development worldwide in the field. While we were having a friendly talk (we did not know each other before), he introduced me to his partner Marina, a beautiful, elegant, blond woman who has been his affectionate * Luigi Angrisani [email protected] 1
Public Health Department - School of Medicine, “Federico II” University of Naples, Naples, Italy
companion till the end of his life. From that point on, we interacted more often, developing projects, sharing ideas, always pursuing quality in research, clinical application, and social life. What was truly amazing about my relationship with Nicola was the fact that by the time I met him for the first time, he was only 50 and he could have already written a book or made a movie about his life. In fact he Nicola had created an original operation from his laboratory experience in dogs and human volunteers. This operation, which carries his name, was quickly adopted around the world. As an invited speaker, Professor Scopinaro had traveled all over the world. He had survived two dreadful accidents, one when he was parachuting and another one few years later while he was driving his car. He used to drive a classic Porsche 911 and travel through Italy on his own airplane. One of Nicola’s greatest achievements was in 1995 in Stockholm. Nicola founded the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity (IFSO), the preeminent international bariatric surgery society that has united the world to address the epidemic of obesity and related metabolic disorders. Another great achievement occurred when laparoscopic techniques in obesity surgery were new and not yet universally accepted. Although he was somewhat skeptical regarding the possibility of performing complex gastrointestinal operations with small incisions and laparoscopes, Nicola accepted my proposal to organize the First International Symposium of Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery with IFSO endorsement. It was held in Naples in March 1999. It was the beginning of a new era. The meeting was attended by surgeons from 27 countries. They included the old guard pioneers of open bariatric surgery, such as Mason, MacLean, and many IFSO leaders, together with the young foxes who supported the lapa
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