This January 10th of 2017 we suffered a heavy loss in medicine. Professor Juan Rodés Teixidor died in Barcelona, Spain.

His passion for the study of the liver started in the earliest professional carrier. He was a vibrant leader in the area of hepatology. He was among the most prominent researchers. From 1973 to 2003 he was head of the Hepatology Service in the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona; from 1985 to 2008 he worked as professor for the University of Barcelona. Meanwhile, the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver diseases, the European Association for the Study of the Liver, and the International Association for the Study of the Liver, recognized his career work serving as president of both of them. He gained distinctions as best researcher in almost all the branches of hepatology and was awarded with the Canadian Liver Foundation Gold Medal, Spanish Society of Digestive Pathology, and the ESADE Prize, among others. Dedicated to five lines of research: alcohol and liver disease, chronic cholestasis, chronic hepatitis caused by the hepatitis B and C virus, liver cancer, and complications of liver cirrhosis, the celebrated and prolific Prof. Rodés published 516 original articles and 68 reviews in: The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Gut and Journal of Hepatology among others (with a Factor H of 118 and a number of citations of 51,882), 195 book chapters, and 70 books (editor).

Prof. Rodes had a great interaction with Latin American Hepatology and hepatologists. In the 80’s he developed a Hepatology meeting for Mexicans and Spanish hepatologists (Spanish-speaking meeting). This meeting was useful for working in the interaction of both groups and discussing the main and hot topics in the Hepatology field, additionally it served to point out in the main chronic liver diseases in both continents.

This meeting was very important for young people who decided to apply for their training at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona. At this time there is a big group of Latin-American hepatologists who did their training with Prof. Rodes group.

Interestingly, from 2001-2005, Prof. Rodés worked as Editor in chief of the official journal of the European Association for Study of the Liver: The Journal of Hepatology. During his period the impact factor increased from 4.7 to 5.2.

We had the privilege to count Prof. Rodés as part of the Associate Editors of Annals of Hepatology since the creation of the journal. When I had the opportunity to invite him he was very happy and with one pleasant smile he accepted the invitation.

In addition to his accomplishments, his colleagues, fellows and friends will always remember him as a one of the most prominent hepatologist in the world for his incisive intellect, his scientific productivity, friendship and honesty.