Vashu Thakur

Celebrating the Life of Vashu Thakur, M.D., Physician, Teacher, Scholar, Mentor October 7, 1950-April 4, 2023. Vashu Thakur was born in Bangalore, India, October 7, 1950 and raised in Mumbai. He received his medical degree at Topiwala National Medical College in 1975 and practiced medicine in his private clinic until 1981. In 1981, he moved to the United States and attended Tulane University Medical School where he completed his residency and fellowship in Nephrology and was board certified in both Internal Medicine and Nephrology. After completing his fellowship, Vashu continued as staff at Tulane University Hospital and Medical School, ultimately becoming the director of the Nephrology Fellowship Program. Vashu transferred to Louisiana State University as Director of the Nephrology Fellowship Program, where he taught until 2006. Always in pursuit of knowledge, Vashu studied mathematics at the University of New Orleans and obtained a Master's degree in Mathematics. In 2004, Vashu met and fell in love with J. Page Maisano. Sharing a love of the outdoors and traveling, they began adventuring together and, in 2011, married in India and travelled together until Vashu's death in April, 2023. Ever creative in his professional pursuits, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Vashu moved west and practiced both internal medicine and nephrology. In addition, he worked as a hospitalist in both Idaho and Wyoming. During this time, Vashu also became board certified in Critical Care and added Intensivist to his medical expertise. Vashu provided care for veterans at the Veterans Administration Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana and in Sheridan, Wyoming. For fifty years, Vashu loved practicing, teaching, and mentoring medicine. Always bringing a calm, steady presence to his work, Vashu was dearly loved by his family, medical students, fellows, nurses, and patients. Vashu was a consummate teacher, always taking the time to explain medical conditions and treatments to his patients and fellow medical staff. Vashu was beloved and admired for his kindness and authenticity. His generosity, wisdom, and empathy for others will be deeply missed. When not practicing medicine, Vashu loved photography, hiking and traveling with his wife Page. Some of their favorite places to hike were Zion, Bryce, and Arches National Parks in Utah. Vashu embraced the outdoors and considered himself a traveler, not a tourist. For Vashu, life was an opportunity for new experiences. He was a true adventurer and loved to plan trips as a way to learn about different cultures, always seizing the moment to try something new. Vashu bungy-jumped in New Zealand, hiked with a sherpa in Nepal, snow-mobiled in the Alaskan tundra, climbed the Himalayan Mountains in Kashmir, learned how to rock climb in Joshua Tree, scuba dived in Costa Rica, and swam in the Ganges river. Vashu spent a month in Costa Rica to learn Spanish and Page and Vashu eventually travelled to and fell in love with Cuenca, Ecuador, where they lived part of the year. For three years, Vashu fought gallantly against pancreatic cancer. His hope is that the contribution he made to pancreatic cancer research will help others in their fight against the same disease. Vashu was predeceased by his parents, Deoomal Thakur and Kalawanti Thakur, and sisters, Sushila Dabrai and Kanta Thakur. He is survived by his wife Page Maisano, his step-children, Ken Morris and Hannah Morris, his step-grandchildren, Harvey Bronson Morris, and Oliver and August Morris, his buddy, Giuseppe, the Golden Retriever, his brother, Tilakraj Thakur, his sister Savitri Lulla, and many nieces and nephews.