Obituary of Melinda McVicar

Melinda Ines Acosta McVicar, MD from Manhasset NY passed away on April 26th at the age 83 at Saint Rafael’s Hospital in CT surrounded by her three children, Kathryn, Patrick and John.

Melinda was born on April 18, 1936 to Puerto Rican parents, Ramon Luis Acosta and Carmen Acha de Acosta in New York City.  She graduated from Green Mountain college and then University of Pennsylvania in 1958 with honors.  She attended the University of Puerto Rico Medical for two years and transferred to Temple University graduating in 1962.  She trained at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Pediatrics before moving to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine to train in Pediatric Nephrology. She was an attending at Down State before joining North Shore University Hospital starting the Pediatric Nephrology department in 1970.  She joined St Vincent’s Hospital in NYC as Chairman of Pediatrics. 

In 2001 she retired from medicine from the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York.

Melinda was an avid sailor taking every opportunity to sail her 16 foot Hobbie Cat and learning to windsurf at the age of 50.  She was a talented tennis player winning hospital fund raising tournaments.  Her passion for skiing is today shared by her children.  As a pediatric Nephrologist she was a medical pioneer in peritoneal dialysis and using new medications to treat the patients in her care.

In her retirement she traveled the world with her husband, Patrick McVicar, married since June 10th, 1967 and spent winters in the warm Puerto Rican climate while maintaining her residence in Manhasset.

Melinda is survived by her daughter Kathryn and her two children Taylor and Sebastian, her son Patrick and her youngest son John, his wife Kristine and their three children Kate, Ava and Grace and Melinda’s sister Evelyn of Puerto Rico.