Insubria University remembers Franco Zecchillo, Red Cross lieutenant and lecturer killed in the helicopter crash in Bosnia: a life devoted to helping others

The University of Insubria also pays tribute to Franco Zecchillo, a lieutenant in the Italian Red Cross Military Volunteer Corps, who died in the helicopter crash in Bosnia.

Born in 1961, Zecchillo was a cardiovascular perfusion and circulatory physiology technician at Legnano Hospital. He was in the Balkan country as an auxiliary member of the Italian Army, taking part in the international EUFOR Althea mission, which provides support and training to the Bosnian military.

A Red Cross lieutenant since 1990, Zecchillo had extensive experience in rescue operations and emergency response. The author of numerous publications, he had taught several courses and supervised numerous degree theses at the University of Insubria.

On behalf of the academic community and Rector Maria Cristina Pierro, Professor Roberto De Ponti, Full Professor of Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Insubria and Director of Cardiology Unit 1 at ASST Sette Laghi in Varese, pays tribute to his professional and personal contribution.

“We learned with shock and dismay of Franco Zecchillo’s untimely death following the helicopter crash in Bosnia. Franco was a cardiovascular perfusion and circulatory physiology technician, a profession that is often little known. He devoted his life to working as a perfusionist in the cardiac surgery operating theatre, managing extracorporeal circulation through a machine that keeps patients alive during cardiac surgery when the heart is stopped.

For years, he taught with dedication and passion at our University, as part of the Methods and Techniques of Echocardiography course within the degree programme in Cardiovascular Perfusion and Circulatory Physiology Techniques. Drawing on his experience and expertise, he trained generations of students and helped expand the role of perfusion technicians into diagnostic cardiology, responding to the evolving needs of the healthcare sector.

He was much loved by students, for whom he was also a trusted source of guidance throughout their university studies. Retirement did not dampen his active spirit: he continued to contribute to professional bodies and volunteer with the Italian Red Cross.

Tragically, it was in this latter role that his life came to an end. His untimely death will not erase the memory of a man who served as a mentor and guide to many former students, now professionals and lecturers themselves, nor the esteem in which he was held by the entire teaching staff or our gratitude for the service Franco rendered to our University.”