The loss of Antonello Del Vecchio is a tragic event for Italian Neonatology.
Pediatrician and Neonatologist engaged in numerous welfare and scientific activities, Antonello had lavished the best human and professional skills in his life. He was an example of seriousness, commitment, dedication to family, work and the health of infants and children. In his work, in his looks, in his words, in his reflections, there was always a great respect for others. His many friends and colleagues in Puglia and throughout Italy mourn him and regret his human warmth, measure, balance, features, style and manners of a true gentleman.
Head of Neonatology at the Di Venere Hospital in Bari and Director of the Maternal-Infant Department, he had also been Sub-commissioner for the Pediatric Center of Bari in a troubled period of healthcare transformations in Puglia. He was a man of great generosity who never spared himself, and with energy and passion continued to fight to give effective answers to the health needs and rights of infants and children, especially the most fragile ones.
After having been component of National Council of the Italian Society of Neonatology and President of the European Society of Pediatric Hematology and Immunology, he was National Treasurer of the Italian Society of Pediatrics and was a candidate for the position of Vice President of the Italian Society of Pediatrics for the next four years. His commitment as a Neonatologist absorbed him strongly, but never prevented him from having many scientific interests, especially in the field of neonatal haematology and immunology. His national and international contributions were numerous, consistent with his periods of study abroad and with the contacts he had maintained with various research centers. For several years he was responsible as associated editor for the Haematology section of the Italian Journal of Pediatrics, attending his work with passion, competence, and assiduity.
Antonello had a rich and multifaceted personality, with different interests who followed with great dedication. For his passion for gastronomy and interest in promoting the culture of food and its environmental sustainability, he was for years President of the Slow Food Association of the Puglia region.
Dear Antonello, as Neonatologists we will always remember you with immense affection for the quality of your work, and as friends we will never forget the open smile and the great generosity You have always given us.
Prof. Giovanni Corsello
Editor in Chief of the Italian Journal of Pediatrics
Prof. Carlo Dani
Editorial Board of the Italian Journal of Pediatrics
Prof. Fabio Mosca
President of the Italian Society of Neonatology