It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dear friend and colleague Thierry de Baère on December 16.
Thierry was one of the greats of interventional radiology, a fantastic physician, researcher, and scientific mind. Most importantly, however, he was what every one of us should strive to be – a wonderful human being who positively influenced the life of everyone around him. To know Thierry meant to admire him. For so many, he was not just a colleague and a friend, he was a mentor – a guiding light at work and in life.
Thierry was born in 1962 in Paris, completed his medical studies at the University of Paris-Sud and did his residency at the Université de Caen Basse in Normandy. In 1991, he joined the Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre in Villejuif, where he stayed throughout his career, strongly contributing to the institute’s reputation as one of the world’s leading institutions in cancer care. As such, it was the first cancer centre to have its own dedicated IR department which was headed by Thierry from 2003 onwards.
Thierry’s research interests focused on portal vein embolization, inter-arterial therapy for liver cancer, image guidance for IR and percutaneous ablation of lung, liver, and bones with RFA and cryoablation. His clinical work focused on minimally invasive treatment of liver, lung, and kidney tumours.
From his first attendance of a CIRSE Annual Congress in Crete in 1994 to receiving the CIRSE Gold Medal in 2019, he showed unparalleled commitment to our community. His many accolades as a researcher, educator, and accomplished clinician are almost too many to name. Instead, we would like invite everyone to remember what was important to him – seeing the humanity in everyone – be it a patient, a colleague, or someone on the street.
«Pas séparés – seulement au-delà du temps. Les âmes se retrouvent dans le monde des idées.»
