Obituario Dr. German Ochoa Final

Obituary—Germán Ochoa06. August 2014Senior AO Trustee and AOSpine Education Commission Past Chairperson, Prof Germán Ochoa, passed away in Bogotá,Colombia on August 5, 2014, at the age of 61.Germán OchoaDear AO friends,It is with great sadness that we must inform you that our Senior Trustee, Prof Germán Ochoa, passed away in Bogotá, Colombiaon August 5, 2014, at the age of 61.Germán was much loved by everyone who came in contact with him and the AO community not only grieves the passing of atremendous individual but the loss for his immediate family. We will all dearly miss a great man.Germán was renowned for his passion for AO Education and commitment to AOSpine; he was a daily inspiration to AOSpineofficers, faculties, participants and staff. A founding member of AOSpine Latin America and the first chairman of its EducationCommittee in 2000, Germán was also the AOSpine Education Commission Chairperson from 2011-2014. His involvement withAO Education for 30 years speaks volumes about his passion and immense experience in the academic field.Germán’s achievements at AOSpine were many and varied: he chaired three Davos Courses; co-chaired the Global SpineCongress in Hong Kong in 2013; started the AOSurgery Reference Spine Module; advanced the faculty development program;lead the development and implementation of the curriculum internationally among many achievements.In addition to his tireless commitment to the AO, Germán was also the Past President of the Sociedad Colombiana de CirugíaOrtopédica y Traumatología (SCCOT), Professor of the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada and the Universidad del Rosario;German was also a member of the Orthopedic and Traumatology Department of the Hospital Universitario Clínica San Rafael inBogotá where he was the Head of the Spine Unit and Pain Treatment.AOSpine has lost one of his most devoted leaders and dedicated supporters; the memory of his incredible warmth, kindnessand social responsibility will live on in the hearts of his many friends and colleagues in the AO Family.For those of you who would like to express your condolences, please send an email to condolences@aofoundation.org. We willcollect all of your tributes and forward them to his family in the name of the AO Family.SincerelyJaime QuinteroPast President of the AO FoundationJeffrey WangChair of the AOSpine International Board13