A few hours later, it was confirmed that it was 53-year old Prof. Aaron Casha, who had been in hospital for a number of months being treated for other complications, and had been diagnosed with COVID-19 a few days earlier, who passed away.
Prof. Casha was a member of staff at the Department of Anatomy within the . His wife, Dr Marilyn Casha, is also a member of staff at the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery.
But he was evidently loved by many, even outside the UM community, as tributes for Prof. Casha started pouring almost immediately after his demise was announced, led by his daughter Hannah, who said she feels so blessed to have had him as her father.
He will be sorely missed not just for his academic contributions and invaluable mentorships, or as an excellent surgeon who educated generations of doctors, but also as a person of a generous nature, something which, in the words of a personal friend of his, spurred him to choose a career in medicine where he “could give others a real chance”.
, Lecturer at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation (CEBI), said on his social media account, that Prof. Casha was “a very kind and intelligent friend”. “I was shocked when I heard about Aaron passing away and linking that event with the news headlines.” Remembering the fantastic discussions he had with Prof. Casha and his colleague, Prof. Joseph N. Grima, Dr Duca said “I loved the way he looked at problems, the energy, the drive and passion Aaron had to think around intellectual problems and fuse knowledge from diverse fields to create very innovative ideas. I will miss him a lot despite not meeting him for many months”.
himself, a close friend, said “Prof. Aaron Casha was an academically brilliant surgeon and academic, fast thinker, with a unique ability to identify research problems and propose the most innovative solutions. He will be fondly remembered by the hundreds of medical students he lectured and by his former patients. He played a leading role in our research team, particularly in projects related to bio-mechanics. He will continue to live through the lives he saved through his work in hospital and the many theories we formulated and published in leading international journals. All this came with a good dose of humanity and joy for life. A man for others, a good father, and an exceptional human being, and a true friend. May the Lord grant him the eternal rest he undoubtedly deserves”.
"I have not had the privilege of working closely with Aaron but, from our common acquaintances, I knew he was an exemplary model for academics to emulate. I wish to convey my condolences to his dear wife Marilyn and two children who have suffered a terrible and irreplaceable loss: you are in our prayers," said UM Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella.
