Alumni engagement and philanthropy

Dennis Wasson, MB BCh BAO, 1957 (died 1 February, 2016, aged 82)

Extract from obituary in Legacy.com; a full version of this article is available here.

Dennis Wasson, MD of Fairfield, died peacefully at home surrounded by his loved ones on February 1, 2016. He was 82 years old and is survived by his loving wife Ellen, and their four children: Tara and husband Jeff Moxham, Roger, Ann and husband Geoffrey Coley, Katherine and husband Nicholas Morris, and sister Joy Riley.

Dr Wasson was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on October 15, 1933 to Samuel and Caroline Wasson. He was predeceased by his brother, William and sister, Maureen Jinks, both of Belfast. After attending Belfast Royal Academy, he earned his medical degree from Queen's University Belfast in 1957. He completed his surgical internship and residency at Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast and Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut. He continued his training at Harvard Medical School, having earned a Surgical Research Fellowship in 1964.

After completing his training, he worked in private practice that continued for 50 years.

He was an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. After being awarded Teacher of the Year many times throughout his career, The Dennis Wasson, MD Award for Outstanding Performance in Surgical Residency was initiated in 2010.

Dennis was as dedicated to practicing surgery as he was to teaching it. He was a deeply compassionate doctor who devoted his life to caring for his patients and their families.

He was also a lover of music from an early age under the nurturing care of his musically talented mother. He was a chorister at Saint Ann's Cathedral, Belfast, for most of his youth and became a brilliant pianist.

Equal to his love of music was his indefatigable quest for knowledge. He was a veracious reader and was known to many as a true polymath.

He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, patients and colleagues.

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