Tribute to René Lambert

Dear Colleagues,

We were very sad to learn of the demise of Professor René Lambert, a friend and colleague, who for many years not only supported the journal Endoscopy, but was also one of the pioneers of our profession.

René Lambert was the head of the hepatogastroenterology department at the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon. Alongside his passion for endoscopy, he was at the forefront of hepatogastroenterology in France.

With an open and pioneering approach, René Lambert contributed extensively to our journal as an author on more than 40 publications. In 1998, he came to us with new ideas and subsequently served as Endoscopy section editor for two special sections he created, the “Expert Approach,” and “Innovation Forum.” These two novel concepts greatly contributed to the journal’s attractiveness for more than 10 years.

In addition, René Lambert will be remembered by the three of us for many other very significant reasons: as a good friend and mentor, we all have very special and fond memories of this unique character. A freethinker without prejudices, René often proffered unusual views and connections, not only for medicine, but also regarding life in general. Whilst being unconventional, these remarks were often spot-on and, over the course of time, we often found that René had been more far-sighted than we could have imagined.

Because of his sense of humor, discussions with René were often not only eye-openers, but also highly entertaining. We all remember dinner parties, sharing the table with René. He was able to entertain us with funny observations on the typical differences between the French, the Germans, the English, and all other nationalities assembled under the umbrella of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE). Listening to him, it was as if (Chief) Inspector Clouseau (the “Pink Panther”) had joined the party… And you could get the best introduction to caipirinha from him you could ever imagine...

We are very grateful to have known this exceptional character and we would like to extend our sincere sympathies to his family.

Peter Siersema, Editor-in-chief of Endoscopy
Thomas Rösch, Former Editor-in-chief of Endoscopy
Thierry Ponchon, Former Co-editor-in-chief of Endoscopy