François Terrier, MD, 1952-2004

On August 10, 2004, medical imaging lost a special friend and colleague, a pioneer in imaging and medical informatics, and an enthusiastic teacher.

François Terrier was born in Strasbourg, France and grew up in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. In 1970, he entered the Medical School at the University of Bern. He pursued his medical training at the University Hospital of Bern where he chose radiology as his career. During his stay at the University Hospital of Bern, François became interested in all fields of medical imaging and participated to many scientific works on musculoskeletal and abdominal sonography.

After his fellowship, he moved to University of California. in San Francisco. François became a pioneer of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and concentrated his activity on the imaging of the kidney. He remained at the Department of Radiology of UCSF for two years before leaving to take on the management of the MRI centre of the Department of Radiology in Bern. In 1990, he was appointed to the chairmanship of the Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University Hospital in Geneva at the age of 38. Since his appointment as professor and chairman he was leader of numerous clinical and basic research developments in medical imaging and medical informatics.

François was fluent in French, English and German and enjoyed travelling internationally and lecturing on kidney imaging. He was also very active inside Switzerland. He developed wide-ranging friendship with physicians and computer scientists on five continents. His curriculum vitae was impressive with more than 100 articles. François was involved in a number of medical societies, including the European Federation of Societies of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB). In 2000, he enthusiastically accepted the responsibility for organising EUROSON 2005 in Geneva, the annual congress of the EFSUMB in conjunction with the Swiss Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (SSUM-SGUM).

He leaves behind him his wife and two daughters. He also leaves behind many devoted colleagues and friends and hundreds of grateful patients.

François was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. The prognosis was poor, but with determination and courage he pursued the latest treatment and was able to manage his department and research projects until the final days.

François was known as a competent, compassionate and phenomenally talented man, with great tolerance and profound belief in human dignity. His optimism and energy in dealing with his disease set an example to all those who knew of his illness.

The SSUM-SGUM, the board of the EFSUMB and the organizing committee of EUROSON 2005, Geneva, have been privileged to collaborate with him for all that time. Knowing him has been a true pleasure for those of us privileged to call him colleague and friend.