It is with profound sadness that the Medical College, Pakistan has learnt of the demise of our longest serving chair of the Department of Anatomy*, Dr Amir Ali Shoro.

Dr Shoro was an internationally renowned professor who had many accomplishments. He completed his MBBS from Sindh University in 1961 and earned his PhD from the University of London in 1972. In 1965, he was awarded the Sitara-i-Jung for volunteering with the Army Medical Corps.

Dr Shoro, joined AKU in July 1983 and helped found the Department of Anatomy. In 1986 he became Professor and Chair of the Department until retiring from AKU in September 2002.

During his tenure, he oversaw numerous firsts and is credited with creating the foundations upon which the Medical College and its current elite status stands today. His devotion to students can be gleaned by the fact that, as the Medical College and School of Nursing and Midwifery matured, he was named our first ever Director of Alumni Affairs.

After leaving AKU, Dr Shoro served in a number of leadership roles at Baqai Medical University, Dow University of Health Sciences, and as Principal and Dean of the Faculty at our neighboring Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College from 2006-2017 after which he moved back to London to be with his family.

Dr Shoro’s students had profound respect for him and recall him as being a like a father figure who was able to extract the best from them. An example, of this was that he insisted students wear formal clothes in the Anatomy Dissection hall out of respect for the opportunity to become doctors and to honor those who had donated their remains for the advancement of education. His lectures were legendary. He was known across AKU for his masterful ability to explain almost any concept well before the advent of advanced 3D simulations or computer animations. He was also an expert in how embryological origins of humans could be traced back to certain Quranic verses. Despite being Chair, he was known for working late hours advising faculty on how to better deliver their lectures, and helping students prep for their vivas and external exams.

On a personal note, I vividly remember when he evaluated my first-ever major lecture back when I had just graduated from the MBBS programme in 1998. I was a volunteer lecturer in Anatomy (this is before we had teaching assistants) and I had to deliver a lecture on nasal passages and sinuses to a full class of students in what we today call the LCF format. He insisted that I practice my talk in front of him and other faculty in advance and he poked many holes in my presentation and how my transparencies looked. He made me redo the transparencies, and stressed on the importance of continual practice and preparation. The lecture eventually became a roaring success, primarily because of Dr Shoro’s insistence on preparation and unwillingness to accept anything less than the best.

Dr Zehra Fadoo, Chair, Oncology, recalls his unforgettable ability to explain complex anatomical concepts with his hands. “The way he explained concepts remain in our memory until today. He once held out his arms and likened his outstretched arms to fallopian tubes to explain how they are connected to the uterus. He was always available to his students and remained in touch with them even after leaving AKU. That is why he was our first alumni director as well.”

Professor Saad Shafqat, a graduate of AKU’s first batch in 1988 remembers him fondly, “He was a gifted teacher with a dynamic personality full of wit, flair, charisma, and wisdom. He has left an indelible mark on two generations of AKU students.”

AKUH CEO Dr Shahid Shafi, who was also a part of AKU’s first graduating class, remembers the impact Dr Shoro had on him. “I will always be grateful to Dr Amir Ali Shoro for educating generations of students at AKU, including myself. He was kind, gracious, and patient with us. His ability to explain difficult concepts in simple and effective ways made him a role model of excellence in teaching. May he rest in eternal peace.”

We thank Dr Shoro and remember him for all he has done for AKU, the field of anatomy, biological sciences and the world. We know that his legacy will live on for generations to come.

*Department of Anatomy is now part of the larger Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences.