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ESA Newsletter: April 2003

Vale Tony Stepanas

Antanas (Tony) Vytautas Stepanas was born in Lithuania in 1943. He grew up in Adelaide and studied at Adelaide University graduating with Honours in Medical Science and later in Medicine. He chose to train in Internal Medicine and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He went on to undertake further training in endocrinology in Australia and overseas at Guy's Hospital, London and the M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. He returned to Australia in 1977 to take up a position as staff endocrinologist in the Department of Endocrinology at the (then) Woden Valley Hospital. He continued to work in that department for over 20 years until his premature retirement due to ill health in early 1998. From 1986 until retirement he also consulted in a private capacity in Cooma and Cootamundra.

Tony was a dedicated, caring and considerate physician known for his meticulous attention to detail. He followed Cres Eastman as Director of Endocrinology at the hospital from 1979 to 1990. He had a strong commitment to teaching and organised grand rounds for over 10 years. He was a fierce advocate of high quality hospital facilities: the auditorium, medical records, the library, and the outpatient department. He became involved in the ACT Branch of the RACP and acted as its treasurer from 1978 to 1982.

One of his particular interests was in diabetes education, not only for staff and professionals but also for patients and their families. He was an active member of the ACT Diabetes Association and served as Vice President of the ACT Diabetes Association over a long period and was a founding member of the Australian Diabetes Educators' Association. Tony strongly promoted the development of diabetes education services in the ACT, Cooma, Cootamundra and Tumut/Gundagai. He contributed frequently towards the running of camps for children with diabetes and their parents. In 1999 he was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia for "services to medicine in the field of endocrinology and to the development of diabetic patient support services".

Tony had enduring interest in Lithuanian affairs. After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990; he spent sabbaticals in 1992, 1994 and 1996 sharing his knowledge and expertise with doctors, diabetes educators and patients. He used his background in endocrinology to contribute to the training of endocrinologists and diabetes educators in Lithuania. The fledgling Lithuanian Diabetes Association conferred on him their inaugural Life Membership. The Lithuanian Ministry of Health asked him to be an adviser on diabetic services. He also collected journals and textbooks in Canberra to send to them. This work was recognised in 1999 by an award in the Order of the Grand Duke Gediminas in Lithuania.

During the five years after his retirement, in spite of serious health concern, Tony was able to many of his other interests including those in art and in things spiritual.

Sadly he died on 9 January 2003 at the age of 59.

Tony is survived by his wife Jackie and two sons, Paulius and Kazys.

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