Ivo Pitanguy
Encyclopedia
Ivo Hélcio Jardim de Campos Pitanguy (born 1926 in Belo Horizonte
, Minas Gerais
)is a plastic surgeon
based in Rio de Janeiro
.
Pitanguy studied at the Bethesda North Hospital
in Cincinnati, where he worked with John Longacre. Soon after, Pitanguy went to France
and England
where he studied plastic surgery.
In 1953 he began working at a Brazilian hospital. On December 17, 1961, a burning circus
tent fell on 2,500 spectators in the Brazilian city of Niterói
. Pitanguy treated burn
victims for weeks on an emergency
basis. He later referred to the event as life changing, as it taught him that for many, physical appearance was critical to living. Pitanguy founded a private clinic called Clínica Ivo Pitanguy in the Botafogo section of Rio de Janeiro where he operates on clients and trains surgeons.
Pitanguy is also a philanthropist
. He renovated a ward at the public Santa Casa da Misericórdia
Hospital in Rio where, for four decades, he has offered treatment for free.
Pitanguy is a member of the Academia Brasileira de Letras
and of the Academia Nacional de Medicina
.
The Pitanguy clinic in Rio also includes an auditorium and library for Pitanguy's lectures and writings for medical students.
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
)is a plastic surgeon
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
based in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
Pitanguy studied at the Bethesda North Hospital
Bethesda North Hospital
Bethesda North Hospital is an acute, tertiary, teaching hospital in Montgomery, Ohio, United States that provides a wide range of services to individuals and families throughout the northeast corridor of Cincinnati and into Butler, Clinton and Warren counties. Founded in 1970 as a community...
in Cincinnati, where he worked with John Longacre. Soon after, Pitanguy went to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he studied plastic surgery.
In 1953 he began working at a Brazilian hospital. On December 17, 1961, a burning circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
tent fell on 2,500 spectators in the Brazilian city of Niterói
Niterói
Niterói is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast region of Brazil. It has an estimated population of 487,327 inhabitants and an area of ², being the sixth most populous city in the state and the highest Human Development Index. Integrates the Metropolitan Region of Rio de...
. Pitanguy treated burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
victims for weeks on an emergency
Emergency
An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
basis. He later referred to the event as life changing, as it taught him that for many, physical appearance was critical to living. Pitanguy founded a private clinic called Clínica Ivo Pitanguy in the Botafogo section of Rio de Janeiro where he operates on clients and trains surgeons.
Pitanguy is also a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He renovated a ward at the public Santa Casa da Misericórdia
Santa Casa da Misericórdia
The Santa Casa da Misericórdia is a Portuguese charity founded in Lisbon in 1498 by the Queen Leonor of Portugal....
Hospital in Rio where, for four decades, he has offered treatment for free.
Pitanguy is a member of the Academia Brasileira de Letras
Academia Brasileira de Letras
Academia Brasileira de Letras is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896, with the statutes being...
and of the Academia Nacional de Medicina
Academia Nacional de Medicina
Academia Nacional de Medicina is the Brazilian National Academy of Medicine, a body composed by the most august representatives of Brazilian medicine....
.
The Pitanguy clinic in Rio also includes an auditorium and library for Pitanguy's lectures and writings for medical students.