On May 22, 2024, we lost Dr. Victor L. Scott, a distinguished anesthesiologist, beloved former faculty member, and esteemed alum of our department.
Dr. Scott began his academic journey with an undergraduate degree from SUNY Stony Brook in 1978, followed by an MD from SUNY Health Science Center/Downstate Medical Center in 1982. He completed an internship in internal medicine and served as an attending physician and Associate Deputy Director of Adult Emergency Services at Kings County Hospital/SUNY Health Science Center.
In 1987, Dr. Scott joined our department in Pittsburgh, completing his residency with us in 1990 and pursuing advanced clinical fellowships at UPMC in critical care medicine, liver transplant anesthesiology, and pediatric anesthesiology. His commitment to excellence led to a faculty appointment in our department and a position as staff anesthesiologist at both the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and UPMC, primarily at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP), where he serves as the Coordinator of Pediatric Transplantation Anesthesiology. In 1991, he was named Associate Director of the UPMC Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program.
Dr. Scott’s expertise and leadership were recognized internationally. In 1998, he traveled to Palermo, Sicily, to establish a liver transplant and multi-visceral solid organ transplant institute at UPMC’s Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IsMeTT). The institute was the first of its kind to be managed solely by an American health system in collaboration with an Italian hospital. His roles at IsMett were numerous and impactful, including Facility Planning Manager, Director of Operating Room, Intensive Care Unit, and Perioperative Services; Coordinator of UPMC’s Medical Student Overseas Educational Program; and Chief of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine.
Upon his return to Pittsburgh in 2002, Dr. Scott briefly worked at Allegheny General Hospital as a staff anesthesiologist and Coordinator of their Ambulatory Care Center, as well as Chairman of Anesthesiology at Maricopa County Health System/Medical Professional Associates of Arizona. He later rejoined CHP, and in 2013, he moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he became Director of Transplant Anesthesiology at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center. There, he launched a new liver transplant program, bringing advanced healthcare services to an underserved region.
Dr. Victor Scott's legacy is enduring, reflected in the countless lives he touched and the profound impact he had on all who had the privilege of working with him. His dedication, leadership, and compassion will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him.