Fernando Arias

ARIASDr. Fernando, Ph.D. Dr. Fernando Arias, Ph.D., 73, died August 7, 2007, in Maumee, Ohio, of complications due to cancer. Dr. Arias was a renowned medical doctor, researcher, and author in the field of high risk pregnancy and delivery, as well as a beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend, and colleague. Dr. Arias was one of the world's preeminent scholars in the field of maternal-fetal medicine. During his academic life, Dr. Arias published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and the book, Practical Guide for the Management of High Risk Pregnancy and Delivery, which has been translated into Spanish, Russian, and German and is soon to come out in its third edition. In 1998, Dr. Arias moved to Toledo, Ohio, as a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine at the Toledo Hospital and was appointed Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical School at the University of Toledo. From 1982 to 1998, he served as Director of Labor and Delivery at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Louis University School of Medicine. From 1974 to 1982, Dr. Arias served on the faculty of the Medical School at Washington University in St. Louis, where he became Associate Professor and then Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Head of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr. Arias was born in the small town of Calarca, Colombia, on June 11, 1934, one of nine children of Fernando Arias and Emilia Aguirre de Arias. His parents recognized his potential and made his education a priority, sending him to boarding school in Bogota when he was just 12 years old. He earned his medical degree at the National University of Colombia in Bogota in 1958 and entered medical practice in his home town of Calarca. In 1961 he came to the United States as a doctoral student and earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1964. Upon completing his doctorate, Dr. Arias returned to Bogota and assumed the position of Chairman of the Department of Basic Sciences at the National University of Colombia. He later moved to Medellin, Colombia, and became Dean of the College of Sciences and Humanities of the University of Antioquia. In 1969, Dr. Arias returned to the United States and became a Fellow in Reproductive Biochemistry at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1971, he moved to St. Louis and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Barnes Hospital - Washington University. Dr. Arias' personal warmth, generosity, and his dedication to his profession endeared him to his colleagues and patients, as well as to his family and friends. He enjoyed reading and traveled extensively. He was an accomplished sportsman, playing professional minor league soccer as a young man in Colombia and running ten marathons, including the Boston marathon in under three hours.