Ali Bakran died at the age of 61 during holidays in the Maldives. He was a transplant and access surgeon at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and member of numerous vascular and transplant societies in the UK and Europe. His particular interest and dedication was aimed at the creation and maintenance of vascular access in patients with renal failure.
As early as in 1990, Ali presented on the results of dialysis vascular access during the 2nd International Congress on Access Surgery in Maastricht and later on during the Tours Angioaccess congress he took the initiative to found the Vascular Access Society, which was inaugurated in 1997. He has filled several functions in the VAS organisation, from board member to president during 2001 to 2003. The biannual VAS congress organised in London in 2001 was highly successful with more than 600 attendees.
Over the past 20 years he has presented and published numerous reports on vascular access during congresses and courses in Europe and abroad. He was renowned as a scientist and top surgeon all over the world.
Lately he was involved in the raising of the Vascular Access Society of Great Britain & Ireland of which he became the first president.
We all remember Ali as a heartily and warm person with interest not only in the fate of his patients but also in the persons he worked with and met in the Vascular Access Society. His great sense of humour made every meeting an enjoyable happening.
We will miss him and honour him for his great contribution to the well-being of dialysis patients.