Abstract
It is with profound sadness that we note the loss, at age 77, of our dear friend Professor Reinhold Stockbrugger, who passed away on 31 January 2018 after a short illness. He will be missed by his colleagues and students the world over, but especially by his wife Graziana, his daughter Stephanie and his son Philip.
Reinhold was born on 22 August 1941 in Bunde, Germany, studied medicine at the Universities of Munster, Germany and Uppsala, Sweden, and graduated in Munster in 1967.
He was then trained in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in Sweden and was registered as a gastroenterologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg in 1976. In the same year, he received his PhD degree at the University of Gothenburg for his studies on atroptic gastritis. While in Gothenburg, in 1978, he was appointed Associate Professor and Chief of the Endoscopy Unit of Sahlgrenska Hospital. Subsequently he left Sweden and spent 2 years in London at the Middlesex Hospital, where he was involved in several post-doctoral studies with Professor Peter B. Cotton. Afterwards, in 1980, he returned to his position in Gothenburg. In 1985 Reinhold went back to Germany, where he was appointed Head of the Clinical Rehabilitation Centre for Gastrointestinal and Metabolic Diseases at the Marbachtalklinik in Bad Kissingen, where he remained for 5 years. With the background of his early career Reinhold arrived in the Netherlands in 1990 where he became the first Ordinary Professor and Head of the Division of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology of the University of Maastricht. After his retirement, in August 2006, he continued to attend the Maastricht University Medical Centre and performed a clinical study on the prevention of colorectal cancer by primary colonoscopy, until October 2007.
Reinhold was a great teacher and an invaluable resource for medical students. In Maastricht, he became an expert in ‘problem based learning’ (PBL) and, after his retirement from Maastricht University, he introduced a PBL program also at the Ferrara Medical School in Italy. At University of Ferrara he was appointed Contract Professor and his passionate work to coordinate educational and research exchange between Maastricht and Ferrara Medical Universities was most appreciated by both colleagues and students. Reinhold had a real passion and inexhaustible enthusiasm for teaching medicine, and his willingness to put his enormous experience to the service of medical students was unique. This constant need for spreading his clinical and scientific knowledge brought him to teach also in Africa and in particular in Mozambique and in Tanzania, where, for 7 years, he coordinated a teaching project for Gastroenterology and Hepatology and flanking specialties such as Surgery, Intensive Care, Infectology, Oncology, by site visits and also online sessions in co-operation with the University of Ferrara and other European Colleagues. The commitment of Reinhold in Tanzania was recently recognized by the position of Honorary Contract Professor at the Muhimbili University of Dar Es Salam.
Reinhold’s involvement in European Gastroenterology was a significant commitment of his life since 1999, when he became treasurer and councilor of the board of the Association des Societes National European et Mediterranean de Gastroenterologie (ASNEMGE). Among many accomplishments during his commitment in ASNEMGE of particular note is the Young Investigator Meeting (YIM). This course, which is still held annually at the House of the European Gastroenterology in Vienna, was designed and directed by Reinhold to specialize young doctors in the fields of research, statistics and writing of papers. Reinhold was the real soul of YIM and, with his talent and passion, he made this course a fundamental step in the career of thousands of young European doctors.
From January 2008 onwards, Reinhold was first Member and, from 2010 to 2013, Chairman of the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) of the United European Gastroenterology (UEG). One of his main commitments in the PAC was campaigning for colorectal cancer screening in Europe. Reinhold felt that UEG had a strong commitment to intensify its activities at the European level to prevent colorectal cancer and he was able to obtain official backing for UEG from the European Parliament for its fight against colorectal cancer. In fact, on 26 November 2010, in Strasburg, thanks to Reinhold campaigning and lobbying action, the European Parliament adopted a Written Declaration urging the Member States and the European Commission to reinforce primary prevention and screening for colorectal cancer in all EU Member States.
From 2008 to his death Reinhold was also Editor of the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He was deeply involved in this activity and extremely conscious of the relevance of his commitment, always trying to improve the quality of the journal.
Reinhold played a crucial role in building European Gastroenterology and in educating more than a generation of European Gastroenterologists. He will be greatly missed, but the effect of his enthusiasm and dedication will continue to be felt by many of us.