Anibal Acosta, MD, an early member of the EVMS faculty and an expert in male infertility, died in June.
A native of Argentina, Dr. Acosta trained in gynecological endocrinology at Johns Hopkins Hospital with Georgeanna Jones, MD, part of the husband-and-wife team that would leave Johns Hopkins to start the nation’s first in vitro fertilization (IVF) practice at EVMS. Along with her and her husband, Howard Jones Jr., MD, Dr. Acosta joined EVMS in 1978 as the third full-time faculty member in obstetrics and gynecology.
When the EVMS IVF program was established, Dr. Acosta was eager to join the effort, Dr. Howard Jones recalled in an interview before he died in July.
"He was a particularly important member because he had training in the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility," Dr. Jones said. "This was quite rare because such training was not generally experienced in American-trained gynecologists. [His] knowledge of the male aspect of infertility was indeed invaluable."
In addition to his involvement with the IVF program, Dr. Acosta studied the causes and therapeutic possibilities for the infertile male prior to the invention of intracellular sperm injection (ICSI).
Dr. Acosta received the Dean’s Outstanding Faculty Award for his major contributions to the school and to his profession. He was named Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 1997. He is survived by his wife, Rosita, and two sons who reside in Hampton Roads. At the request of the family, memorial gifts can be made to EVMS as a tribute to Dr. Acosta.
