CIRO DE QUADROS Obituary

de QUADROS--Ciro, M.D. Led efforts to vaccinate world's poor. The Trustees, Officers and staff of the Sabin Vaccine Institute note with great sorrow the passing of our friend, colleague and Executive Vice President, Dr. Ciro de Quadros, aged 74, who passed away peacefully at home in Washington, DC on May 28, 2014, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his loving wife, Susana; daughters Julia and Cristina; and stepsons Marcelo and Alvaro Boggio. Dr. de Quadros was born and raised in Brazil, where he completed his medical and public health studies. He dedicated his life to championing health as a fundamental human right and worked tirelessly on behalf of the world's poorest populations to increase access to life-saving vaccines. For more than a decade, Dr. de Quadros led our advocacy efforts, encouraging low- and middle-income countries to prioritize and sustain financing for vaccine programs, particularly those focused on protecting children. Prior to joining Sabin, Dr. de Quadros was Director of the Division of Vaccines and Immunization of the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), where he helped avert thousands of deaths by leading efforts to eradicate polio and measles from the Western Hemisphere, and smallpox from Ethiopia. His forward-thinking vision, optimism and tenacity to overcome the seemingly impossible, coupled with his conviction that all countries, no matter their economic status, must invest in the well-being of their own people, helped transform modern day public health programs. A man of deep integrity, humility and compassion, Dr. de Quadros was a mentor to many within the global health community, and was lauded for his many accomplishments. Among the more than 36 prestigious honors and awards presented to him, he received PAHO's Public Health Hero of the Americas Award, bestowed upon individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to improving the health and well-being of the peoples of the Western Hemisphere (2014); the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award of Development Cooperation for contributions to global development through his work with disease eradication and control (2012); the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal award (2000); and the highest civil award presented by the Government of Brazil, the Order of Rio Branco (1999). He was a giant in his field, passionately committed to his crusade of eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and many friends throughout the world. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. Morton P. Hyman Chairman of the Board Philip K. Russell, M.D. Immediate Past Chairman Michael W. Marine Chief Executive Officer Peter J. Hotez, M.D. President

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Published by New York Times on May 30, 2014.

Memories and Condolences
for CIRO DE QUADROS

Sponsored by A young admirer of his work.

6 Entries

Carol Dabbs

June 9, 2014

This is a great loss to public health worldwide, and especially in Latin America. Dr. de Quadros' leadership of the elimination of polio in the Americas was accomplished by bringing many organizations into the effort, including USAID, as partners and colleagues. It worked because of his great respect for other people and the parameters of their work, which he harnessed for a common objective. God speed, Ciro.

Sudhir Khanal

June 7, 2014

CIRO means "lord" and you were and are the true lord on Immunization, you helped to have a better world free of diseases like smallpox and your legacy will be continued to eradicate polio. measles and other such diseases. I hd a chance to meet you face-to-face in Nepal and will never forget your words when I asked you on polio eradication- "I don't know but if we all work together nothing is impossible". RIP the great Guru.

June 6, 2014

I've been blessed by great teachers. Ciro was one. He brought the best out of all of us who were lucky enough to work with him. Whatever you asserted you had better be ready to defend. If you weren't in top form, if your position was untenable, he would send you back to rethink it. And when you got it right his praise was lavish.
But he was more than that. Ciro was a friend, a confidant, a mentor to me throughout my professional career. Whenever I would crash and burn, he was there to pick me up. Time and again, seeing I was on a wrong track, he would pull me aside, pin me down with his fierce look, wait until I was really listening, then give me one of his pearls of wisdom.
“You see, Mike”, he would say, “life is like a rocket ship heading into space. One stage finishes, it drops off and another one starts up.”
The man always thought big. Eradicating diseases, continents at a time. Transforming sleepy bureaucratic backwaters into efficient public health engines. Orchestrating disparate groups, shaping them into formidable coalitions. The stories are legendary. How he combed the Ethiopian countryside for Peace Corps volunteers and pressed them into service as smallpox vaccinators. I remember Esquipulas and the ceasefire he and James Grant negotiated so that children could be immunized and Central America freed from polio.
A positivist is someone who believes that mankind can make the world a better place. Ciro was that. I remember him once pulling a paper from his wallet and reading it to me. It said: “It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.” (Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince)
Yet he was also a realist who could read people with uncanny precision. He could differentiate the deep thinkers from the “articulate incompetents”, as he once put it. Like a prizefighter, he knew when to parry and when to strike.
Ciro had those gifts. Add to that his relentless work ethic, his personal integrity, and you begin to see why he was unstoppable. Yet it was never about him. He believed we should all serve bigger causes, transcendent ones, and that we are privileged to be able to do that together.
Now it is up to us to keep that flame burning, to carry on with the work he so ably led.
- Mike McQuestion

Scott Porterfield

May 31, 2014

Ciro was a great human spirit and made a positive difference for all of us. God Speed.

Angela Vicari

May 30, 2014

"A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again." ~Maya Angelou

Rest in Peace Ciro

Harry Hull

May 30, 2014

Ciro was a great friend and a visionary leader. He truly changed the world for the better. He will be greatly missed.

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