ARTICLE
Auteur(s) : Pr Jo Lambert
On the 26th of July of 2007, after a long and unequal
fight against his illness, Prof. Dr. Jean-Marie Naeyaert passed
away peacefully.
With him we not only lost the head of our department, an eminent
dermatologist and scientist, a leader and a visionary, but most
importantly a friend.
The funeral took place on the 4th of August 2007, and
even though it was in the middle of the summer holidays the church
was packed with people paying their respect. Alongside his wife
Mrs. Nicole Naeyaert, his children Sofie and Maxime, a big
delegation of the professional dermatological community of Belgium
was present. The university was represented by the rector, the head
of the university hospital and a great many colleagues and
students. In his elegy the chaplain, Mr. Bert Vanderhaegen, began
with an account of Jean-Marie as a husband and father, and went on
to describe the courageous way in which he fought his illness and
its progression. The rector Prof. Paul Van Cauwenberghe emphasized
the importance of Jean-Marie as a scientist and as the head of the
department of dermatology, where his initiatives will live on for
many years to come.
Jean-Marie Naeyaert was born on the 27th April 1956
in Oostende (Belgium). After his secondary education he went to the
Ghent University, where he obtained his medical degree magna cum
laude. After his military service he started his specialization in
the field of dermatology and venereology under the auspices of
Prof. A. Kint in 1982, and obtained that degree in November
1986.
In November 1992 he obtained his higher education teaching
qualification (“aggregaat”) with the thesis “Regulation of Human
Melanogenesis”. He then went on to become research assistant
(1986-1992), postdoctoral research assistant (1993-1994), and
part-time assistant professor in 1995. Since January 1995 he also
was head of the department of Dermatology, succeeding Prof. A.
Kint. He became an associate professor in October 1998 and a full
professor in October 2003.
In 1986 he won a scholarship from the Horlait-Dapsens
foundation, allowing him to stay with Prof. Thivolet in Lyon,
France. The experience he gained there allowed him to introduce the
culture of human keratinocytes at the Ghent University Hospital in
1987. This technique is still used routinely today in the treatment
of ulcers and certain pigmentary defects.
In 1988 he obtained the John Fogarty International Research
Fellowship Award to stay at the Tufts University in Boston, USA,
where his interest in everything to do with pigmentary disorders
was kindled. That same year he also won the Nato Research
Fellowship Award. Later he won he won the KBVDV (“Royal Belgian
Society of Dermatology and Veneralogy”) prize in 1994, and the
International La Roche-Posay prize in 1995. In 2006 he was honored
by the Society for Investigative Dermatology with the “American
Skin Association’s Annual Vitiligo & Pigment Cell Biology
Achievement Award”.
Jean Marie was a member of a great many scientific societies:
the Royal Belgian Society of Dermatology and Veneralogy, the
Belgian Society of Mycology, the European Society for Dermatologic
Research, de European Academy for Dermatology and Venerology and
the American Academy of Dermatology. He also was a founding member
of the Belgian Society for Pediatric Dermatology, chairman of the
“Stichting Nederlandstalige Nascholing voor Dermatologie en
Venereologie” and a member of the council of the European Society
for Pigment Cell Research.
Listing all of his publications would be a huge undertaking, so
we won’t. He was also an associate editor of the European Journal
of Dermatology, the Belgian Society Managing Editor of Dermatology,
the associate editor of the ESPCR Bulletin and a member of the
editorial board of Keratin.
In the department of Dermatology we got to know Jean-Marie as a
multi-faceted personality: organizer, eminent clinician, expert
pathologist, excellent teacher and scientist. But foremost he was a
very caring superior, deeply involved in the well-being of all the
persons working for him. Clinicians of the department could always
rely on him for help, and his examinations always ran the same
methodical course; from the primary skin manifestations over the
differential diagnoses to the final diagnosis. He had a phenomenal
memory for anything to do with diagnoses and treatments, and could
back this up with citations from the most recent scientific
articles. Time and time again he has proven that dermatopathology
was the key to a proper diagnosis. No wonder then that the
“clinicopathological confrontations” he organized and led with
verve on a monthly basis for a larger medical audience were so dear
to him. Those were inspiring and motivating moments!
Together with his fellow researchers and coworkers he also
founded the “Dermatological Research Unit”, which is the envy of
many in and out of the country. Since the year 2000, more than 10
researchers obtained their PhD under his tutelage, and more are in
preparation. Pr. Naeyaert was also regularly invited as an extra
muros expert for doctoral theses.
Under his initiative several techniques, projects and committees
were started or introduced in the department and the hospital: the
culture of human skin cells, diagnosis of bullous diseases, a
melanoma committee, a vasculitis committee, laser techniques,
stimulation of clinical studies and a vitiligo center.
Prof. Naeyaert was also loved by his students. His lectures were
valued for the way in which he combined knowledge with the
occasional humoristic touch.
Nobody will ever forget the profound humanity with which
Jean-Marie tackled small and big problems laid before him by any
co-worker, be it a cleaning lady or a physician. He was always
first in line to give support in case of illness or problems, and
his door was always ajar. He also never forgot events like births
and marriages, a gift in hand…
There is no way that this small text can do justice to
Jean-Marie and the way he enriched the lives of everyone around
him. Surely it will take more time before the magnitude of this
loss hits us fully!
Finally, we should not forget one person who played an
invaluable role in the life of Jean Marie, namely his wife Nicole.
She was always the silent, unwavering supporter he needed when
fulfilling his ambitions. She was also responsible for enabling
Jean-Marie to function professionally at close to 100% up to a few
weeks prior to his death.
Let us all, together, keep the memory of this great man alive.
May his sincere drive and enthusiasm be an example to us all!
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