It is with the greatest of sadness and sorrow that ‘ESMO Open - Cancer Horizons’ reports the death of a distinguished member of its Editorial Board, Professor Gouri Shankar Bhattacharyya from Kolkata, India. Professor Gouri Shankar Bhattacharyya, a past president of the Indian Society of Medical and Pediatric Oncology (ISMPO), will remain in our memory as a constant and highly energetic advocate for the cause of medical oncology and oncologists in countries of restricted financial resources. The care for patients with cancer in even the most difficult circumstances was the issue he was truly burning for, and he reminded us with his fervour about this issue which is of pre-eminent importance in the world we live in. Professor Gouri Shankar Bhattacharyya will be remembered by us as a warm friend and was cherished as a strong supporter of ESMO which he believed would be the driving force behind the amelioration of the fates of cancer patients, which is what he truly lived for.
Tributes to Professor Shankar Bhattacharyya have been paid from around the oncology community.
ESMO President Solange Peters said ‘It was always a genuine pleasure to cross the way of Gouri. He was curious, smart, inventive, collaborative and extraordinarily nice by nature. I will deeply miss such a jolly personality, faithful colleague and the smile of Gouri.’
Professor Tony Mok, past president of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), said ‘The one friendly smiling face that I always look forward to at international conferences is from Gouri. Not only that he represents the core value of lung cancer research in India, he is a true leader and a good friend. The international lung cancer community will surely miss him.’
Professor Alex Adjej, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Thoracic Oncology, said ‘His smile always welcomed you, he listened, he questioned, he made suggestions, he was full of energy, enthusiasm and good cheer. He cared deeply about cancer patients and their suffering and how to tackle it’s complexities in the less affluent parts of the globe. That was my colleague and friend Gouri. The oncology world has lost a shining light. I will miss him, we will all miss him. Fare thee well, Gouri’.
Our thoughts are with his family, collaborators, and friends to whom he had to pass on the torch much too early in his life.
Acknowledgments
Funding
None declared.
Disclosure
The author has declared no conflicts of interest.