POSNA member Dr. Fábio Ferri-de-Barros passed away on July 19, 2023. He had been a POSNA member since 2014. The information below is modified from an announcement from Arbor Memorial.
Dr. Ferri-de-Barros is survived by his wife Natalia Marangoni Ferri de Barros, children Matteo (Maria Luiza), Giovanna, and Nicolas; sisters Marina of Oslo, Norway, and Helena and Ana of Ilhabela, Brazil; and parents João and Maria Cecília Ferri de Barros of São Jose dos Campos, Brazil. He is lovingly remembered by many nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.
Dr. Ferri-de-Barro was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He obtained his MD from the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, then trained in orthopaedic surgery in Brazil. Following that, he worked in Ilhabela for 5 years. His training journey took him to various locales in the U.S., Australia, and Switzerland. In 2006, he and his wife traveled to Toronto where they started a new chapter in their lives in Canada.
He completed a Pediatric Orthopedics and Spine Surgery Fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto, where he also completed a master’s degree. In 2010, he took a consultant position in Calgary as one of two pediatric spine surgeons for the Calgary zone at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Ferri-de-Barro cared deeply for his patients and worked tirelessly to improve procedures and care for young people with scoliosis. As part of this work, he took on roles that would allow him to do both in Canada and internationally. Amongst other positions, he was Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Cummings School of Medicine (University of Calgary) and President of the Canadian Pediatric Spine Society. As recognition of his care and integrity, he received numerous awards and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Orthopedics.
In the last months of his life, he suffered from an incurable depression, where he was unable to see the love and hope that surrounded him. He was taken by a tragic complication of this severe disease. The family feels it is important to break down the stigma associated with mental health disorders and would like to encourage anyone in distress to seek help just as they would for any other health issue.
A private family service has been held. As expressions of sympathy, the family would appreciate donations to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation (childrenshospital.ab.ca) or a mental health charity of choice.