Joseph Costa Wiki – Biography
Joseph Costa, head of the division of critical care at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, died on July 25 after a month-long battle with COVID-19, the hospital confirmed to Heavy. He was 56 years old.
Costa held a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia and received his medical education at the University of Maryland, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, a national honorary society for top-performing medical students.
He graduated in 1990 and completed his residency at the University of Maryland, according to Mercy Medical Center spokesperson Dan Collins. He joined Mercy in 1997, with specialities in pulmonary and critical care, the hospital website shows. He also had board certifications in internal medicine.
Costa became chief of critical care in 2005 and served as an officer of the Mercy medical staff from 2010 to 2016, the hospital said. His roles included secretary/treasurer, vice president, and president.
Apart from his clinical responsibilities, he was also “deeply dedicated to Mercy’s mission and values,” according to the hospital. He chaired Mercy’s Medical Morals Committee and served as a member of the Mercy Health Services Board of Trustees Mission and Corporate Ethics Committee.
Costa also held faculty positions at his alma mater, serving as an adjunct assistant professor until his death.
Costa was known for both his clinical expertise and caring personality. “He was beloved by his patients and their family members—known for his warm and comforting bedside manner as well as his direct and informative communication style. When he counseled our patients and families, he did so with great compassion and empathy,” the hospital said in a statement that was sent to Heavy.
Kevin Parks, Catholic Review visual journalist and former Mercy employee, told WBAL-TV that both he and his father had been Costa’s patients in the ICU. “Just his steady presence, his demeanor, his confidence. He was never high, never low. He was steady. He always smiled, always had your back, told you like it was with compassion,” Parks said in the interview.
Baltimore resident Michael Green, one of Mercy’s first COVID-19 patients, was also treated by Costa. He was admitted on March 18 and wasn’t discharged until June 29, according to the Baltimore Sun.
While Green was in a coma, his wife Gail called Costa daily to check on her husband, the Sun reported. Gail said in an interview that Costa was honest about her husband’s conditions but was comforting and always made her feel there was hope:
He said to me, ‘Because families can’t be here, we not only think of your husband as our patient, but you’re our patients as well. And we’re here to take care of you as much as we’re here to take care of your husband.’
Green, who has now returned home, told the Sun that he regretted not being able to thank Costa in person. “The thing that disappoints me the most is that one day I would hope that I could have walked back into Mercy and thank him and the rest of the staff that worked under him and tell him how much I appreciated what he did. And now that won’t happen,” he said.
Neda Freyha said Costa was her attending during her residency. She said on Twitter that she felt much calmer when Costa went to help her with caring for “very sick patients.”
Dr. Costa was my attending in residency. I vividly remember being on call overnight, caring for very sick patients on the floor, & feeling so much calmer when Dr. Costa came to help. He was kind and brilliant. This weekend he died of covid in his own ICU. https://t.co/5L0popNkle
— Neda Frayha MD (@nedafrayha) July 27, 2020
Joseph Costa Age
Joseph Costa was 56 years old.
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Cause of Death
Joseph Costa died on July 25, 2020, at the age of 56, due to complications of Coronavirus. He contracted the coronavirus while he was treating patients, and fell ill in late June, according to the Washington Post.
An outpouring tribute appeared online after Costa’s death. In a statement, Costa’s alma mater, the University of Maryland School of Medicine praised him for his selfishness and commitment to his job. Stephen N. Davis, MMBS, the Theodore Woodward Chair of the university’s department of medicine, said the following:
“Dr Costa was a great clinician, teacher, mentor, and role model for our medical students and Internal Medicine residents. It is a tremendous loss to the community, the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland. We send our sincere condolences to his family. He was one of the most accomplished and brave clinicians that we have been privileged to know.”
“I have profound admiration and the deepest respect for Joe as a clinician, colleague and friend. Mercy Medical Center and the Mercy family richly benefitted from Joe’s wisdom, compassion, insight and thought, ethical approach to his work and the families he served,” hospital CEO Dr Maine said in a statement.