In Memoriam: Prof. dr. Jules M. M. van den Bosch

 

16-01-1946  –  01-12-2010

 

Prof. dr. Jules M. M. van den Bosch was the first professor in interstitial lung diseases (ild) in the Netherlands at the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the University Hospital Utrecht and the St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. His oration was entitled: “Teamwork II” in which he emphasized the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork in the care for patients with ild.

In the Netherlands he was one of the pioneers in ild and he introduced the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in this country. He established together with Dr. Jan C. Grutters the Centre for Interstital Lung disease (cIL) in the St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein. This centre facilitates management and research in ild. In this context there is a ongoing collaboration with the ild care foundation.
For more than thirty years he advised pulmonologists in the Netherlands with respect to all kind of aspects of ild. Obviously, his greatest effort was the introduction of a high standard lung transplantation program in the Netherlands. Furthermore, he is the (co) author of numerous scientific papers and was a reviewer of many international journals. He was the co-organizer of the WASOGBAL meeting in Maastricht June 2011 and a member of the board of the ild care foundation.

He was very much a caring patient oriented physician. His persona embodied the best qualities of a leader, a stimulating mentor, and a friend. He will be sadly missed by those who knew him. We want to offer our sympathy to his wife Loes van den Bosch and children and grand children and wish them courage with this sorrowful loss.