Alexander Robertson Vap M.D.

1982 - 2025

Alexander Robertson Vap, M.D.

January 16, 1982 - January 21, 2025

Alexander Robertson Vap, M.D., died of metastatic cancer of the thymus gland on January 21, 2025, in Richmond, VA. He had just turned 43. Diagnosed a year earlier, he fought the disease valiantly. He was surrounded by his loving family.

Alex leaves behind his wife, Hailey Pylman Vap, and two beautiful little girls, Caroline Anne, four, and Elizabeth Robertson, almost two; his parents, James Gordon Vap, M.D. and Jeanne Robertson Vap, of Chevy Chase, MD; his sister, Melissa Vap Leggett, her husband, Matt Leggett, and their children, Murielle, Georgiana and Cressida, also of Chevy Chase; and "big brother", James Gordon Vap II (Gordie), who lives in Charlotte, NC, with his wife, Tracy, and children Jake, Will, Sophie and Charlotte.

Alex was a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and an Associate Professor of Orthopedics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond. He joined the faculty in 2016. He authored 64 academic papers and collaborated on multiple medical textbooks. He was active in numerous professional societies and an active presenter at various orthopedic association meetings.

Alex built a big following at VCU, as evidenced by his long days seeing clinic patients and a busy surgery schedule. Having been an athlete himself, Alex had a special rapport with his sports injury patients. He loved being a team doctor to young athletes. Most weekends found him driving great distances to cover a variety of athletic events. He covered men's football, basketball, soccer, and lacrosse, plus women's field hockey and lacrosse. He especially enjoyed being head team physician at William & Mary and covering games at VCU and Longwood University. He also served as the team doctor for the Richmond AA Flying Squirrels Baseball Team.

As an orthopaedic resident in training at Duke University, (graduating in 2015) Alex covered the sidelines as team doctor for many sports -- football, lacrosse, soccer and of course, the famous Duke basketball team.

While attending Bowman Grey Wake Forest University Medical School (graduating in 2010), he coached a local high school lacrosse team--and played in the annual docs vs. cops ice hockey game!

After finishing his residency training at Duke, Alex completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine at the prestigious Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. At Steadman, he provided coverage for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams, traveling as far as Scandinavia and China for international competitions.

After his year at Steadman, Alex completed an International Complex Knee Sports Medicine Fellowship at Ulleval Hospital in Oslo, Norway.

Alex and Hailey were engaged at the historic St. John's Church in Richmond in 2018 and married in September of 2019 in a spectacular wedding at an historic estate overlooking the James River.

Born and raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Alex cherished his ties to Washington. He was a member of Chevy Chase Club and the Metropolitan Club of Washington. He later joined the Country Club of Virginia, where he put aside his hockey and lacrosse pads to work on his golf game.

Alex attended Primary Day School and Blessed Sacrament before graduating from St Albans in 2000. While at St Albans, Alex earned the rank of Eagle Scout and captained both the Ice Hockey and Lacrosse teams. He had learned to play hockey at Chevy Chase Club--from mite to midget and during his junior and senior high school years traveled the East Coast on weekends playing for the AAA Little Caps. He was a superb skater, fierce competitor, and team player, liked and respected by his teammates and their parents. His only competitive solo performance was the Marine Corps Marathon in 2014. He made his four-hour cutoff goal--"so I never have to do this again!"

As an undergraduate at Harvard, he played Varsity Lacrosse. He was a four-year letterman and voted a team captain his senior year in 2004. Alex was also awarded Harvard lacrosse's Herman Hammerman Unsung Hero award. To his great surprise, (he missed the email) -- Alex graduated cum laude from Harvard. He was a real history buff, majoring in European History.

Alex was a devoted, loving husband and father. He always put his family first and showed them true unconditional love. He introduced Caroline to ice skating at age three and loved to take his girls on the golf course. Many of his family's most cherished memories were made at home and on family vacations.

Alex climbed mountains in Wyoming with his sister, Melissa. He fished with his dad. He hunted birds and ducks with his brother, Gordie. He skied double black diamonds with his brother and sister, beating them down the mountain while his mom watched from the nearby intermediate slopes!

Alex was a compassionate healer. He was a hard worker. He had grit. He had heart.

He will be missed so much by his family and friends.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:30 a.m. February 1st at Saint Mary's Catholic Church, 9505 Gayton Road, Richmond, VA 23229.

Please consider donating to the Alexander Robertson Vap Charitable Memorial Gift Fund. This fund will help support educational and athletic pursuits, in keeping with Alex's legacy.

https://connect.fftc.org/AlexVap

Foundation For The Carolinas, f/b/o Alexander Robertson Vap; Charitable Memorial Gift Fund #4457, 220 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202, 704.973.4500; EIN: 56-6047886