Obituaries

Eduardo de Alba, FACP

Eduardo de Alba, FACP, a former College Governor and leader in Central American medicine, died in October 2006. A resident of Panama, he was 85 years old.

After obtaining his B.A. at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. de Alba attended medical school at the University of Maryland and graduated in 1945. He returned to Panama, where he worked as an internist and cardiologist at Hospital Santo Tomas, the main public health hospital in Panama City, and then briefly at Clínica San Fernando, a private clinic. In 1951, he joined the medical staff at Gorgas Hospital, in the former Panama Canal Zone, where he practiced until his retirement in 1982. Dr. de Alba also served as an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Panama.

Among his professional accomplishments, Dr. de Alba was credited with performing the first peritoneal dialysis in Panama, and in 1949, he diagnosed the first breakout of yellow fever found in Panama since 1905. He was also responsible for the organization and development of the first truly operational intensive therapy and coronary care units in the country. For his professional and personal services to his community, Dr. de Alba received the Order of Merit Vasco Nuñez de Balboa from Panamanian President Aristides Royo in 1981.

Dr. de Alba served as Governor for Panama and Central America chapters of the College from 1970-1976. He obtained Fellowship in 1962 and his chapter honored him with its Laureate Award in 1991.

James W. Haviland, MACP

James W. Haviland, MACP, a former College President and a pioneer in kidney care, died on Nov. 14. A resident of Bremerton, Wash., he was 96 years old.

Dr. Haviland received his medical degree and residency training in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University. During the next three decades, he led, taught and practiced at the University of Washington, School of Medicine. He served variously as an acting dean, an assistant dean, a clinical professor of medicine and an associate dean for clinical affairs while also maintaining a large private practice.

In 1962, Dr. Haviland, in conjunction with the University Hospital and the King County Medical Society, opened the first outpatient kidney-dialysis center in the world. The center has since expanded into more than a dozen non-profit clinics, called the Northwest Kidney Centers. Dr. Haviland served as the first president of the Northwest Kidney Centers' board of trustees and continued to serve on the board until his death. The flagship building of the Centers was renamed the Haviland Kidney Center in 1998.

Dr. Haviland served as President of the College in 1970-71. He also served as Governor for the Washington Chapter from 1956-1965, and Regent in 1965-1969 and 1971-1972. In 1973, he was awarded a Mastership, and he received the Washington chapter's Laureate Award in 1995.

Merle A. Sande, MACP

Merle A. Sande, MACP, a former College Regent and an internationally recognized expert in HIV/AIDS, died on Nov. 14. A resident of Seattle, he was 68 years old.

Dr. Sande received his undergraduate degree from Washington State University, and completed medical school at the University of Washington, School of Medicine. After training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at The New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center and serving in the military, he joined the faculty of University of Virginia. During his career, Dr. Sande also taught and practiced medicine at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), University of California San Francisco, University of Utah and the University of Washington.

As a physician on the forefront of the AIDS epidemic, Dr. Sande helped develop an AIDS ward and clinic at SFGH that became a model for care around the world. He co-wrote the first AIDS infection control guidelines and co-edited the first textbook on AIDS treatment. He also contributed greatly to AIDS care in Africa, founding the Infectious Disease Institute and Academic Alliance Foundation, which together have trained nearly 2,000 African health care providers in AIDS treatment. Dr. Sande was also known for his research on meningitis, endocarditis, and antibiotic-resistant infections.

He served as president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and received that organization's highest award. Dr. Sande also earned the American Medical Writer's Award, Distinguished Alumnus awards from Washington State University and the University of Washington, and the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for Contribution to Health Care in Uganda.

In 1999, Dr. Sande was elected as a Master of the College. He served on the Board of Regents from 2000 to 2006 and was honored with a Laureate Award in 2004.