Obituary of Dr. Michael Claude Pitter

Dr. Michael C. Pitter, 57, passed away on December 25, 2016. He was born January 6, 1959 in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended the prestigious St. George’s College, a selective Jesuit secondary school for young men. After migrating to the United States, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois – Chicago. There, he met and soon after married his wife of 33 years, Irma Valentine Pitter. He worked as a chemical process engineer with Union Carbide. He was awarded a patent proposal for a device used in the extrusion of plastic pellets into a semi-permeable three-layer bag. After the birth of his daughter JoAnne in 1983, he decided to transition into medicine. He graduated from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (currently Rutgers Medical School) in 1990. Their son Michael was born that year. Board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, he spent over 20 years at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Hackensack University Medical Center, developing proficiency and authority in delivering newborns and conducting various surgical procedures. He went on to pioneer the use of computers and robotics in minimally invasive gynecological surgery. His innovations spared the fertility of so many women and refined the precision with which endoscopic pelvic surgery could restore the reproductive and urogenital health of patients. He continued his work both at Columbia University Medical Center and New York Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital where he assumed the role of an Assistant Professor and Director of Robotic Surgery, respectively. Dr. Pitter also had a leading role in the Caribbean Medical Mission, an organization dedicated to providing free medical care in the remote regions of various Caribbean countries including Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Throughout his career, he lectured, instructed and mentored students and physicians from various institutions around the country and the world. Internationally, he is known for his artistry and command as a surgeon and a teacher. He is a published author of articles appearing in many peer reviewed journals and textbooks. Dr. Pitter had a deep passion for family gatherings, travel, culture, history and sailing. In his passing, he leaves behind his wife, Irma; his two children, JoAnne and Michael; his son-in-law, Akinyemi; his grandchildren, Morayo and Akinyemi Jr.; and a host of relatives and dear friends.