IN MEMORIAM

RODOLPHE MAHEUX 1951 - 2007

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Professor Rodolphe Maheux, who was the current President of the World Endometriosis Society. He died suddenly in his home on 9 May 2007 aged 56.

Rodolphe has had a distinguished career in his chosen speciality of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He was one of the leading figures in the establishment of our World Endometriosis Society

in 1998 and underpinned its development from its inception in his role as secretary, where he established a solid foundation and administrative base, our website, and e-Journal. He became President in 2005 and his presidential project was to establish the World Endometriosis Research Foundation, which has just begun to raise funds for research projects to be funded in open competition. He was very much looking forward to see the fruits of all this hard work resulting in new research into endometriosis, and to present his vision at the next World Congress of Endometriosis in March 2008 in Australia.

These achievements for our Society follow on from other important contributions which Professor Rodolphe Maheux made to obstetrics and gynaecology within Canada and in the worldwide arena. He was a highly respected clinician and academic professor at Laval University in Quebec and research and published extensively within the field of Reproductive Medicine, his name appearing regularly as invited guest speaker at international meetings.

He served as the 51st president of The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) in 1994/5 and is credited for ushering the SOGC into the new information age, and had been a past president of The Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Quebec. More recently he was a member of the executive board of the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (FIGO) allowing him to bring his enthusiasm and leadership in Obstetrics and Gynaecology to a world arena.

Despite all of these important roles, Rodolphe was committed to his wife Marie and children. He loved the outdoors, waterskiing and his farm in the Beauce region of Quebec, where he had planted hundreds of trees and done much of the landscaping work himself. He had a passion for good food and wine, and wherever you might meet abroad at a congress, he would know the best restaurants to visit, and you could be certain of an enjoyable evening in his company.

Many of us have not only lost a visionary for our World Endometriosis Society, but someone we would count amongst our friends.

I am sure you will join with me in offering our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Rodolphe Maheux.

Professor Robert Shaw
Immediate Past President of WES

Rodolphe Maheux will be sadly missed by me and by his family, friends and colleagues. We all will miss his contagious enthusiasm and bursting energy.

Rodolphe was a tenured professor at Laval University in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a clinician of international reputation in gynaecology and reproductive pathologies related to infertility.

Rodolphe Maheux was first of all a man of great values, a man who loved and was very close to his family, a proud father and grandfather and a friend that one could rely on. He loved life and was passionate about everything he did.

He was devoted to his work, appreciated by his patients for his compassionate and caring approach, a passionate researcher and an innovative teacher and lecturer.

His hobbies and outside interests were numerous. Passionate about nature, he loved spending spare time on his farm near his home town Saint-Georges-de-Beauce in Quebec taking care of his wild flower garden and producing his own maple syrup and honey.

Rodolphe was actively involved in many scientific and professional organisations at the local, national and international levels: One of the most innovative head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of Laval university, president of the SOGC, member of the CFAS board of directors, president of the WES…).

He was a man of great vision who actively contributed to the foundation of the WES, devoted a considerable time and effort to it, and greatly contributed to advancing our knowledge of endometriosis as a physician and researcher dedicated to the cause.

It was a great privilege to know and work with him…

“Salut mon ami !”

Professor Ali Akoum
Member of the WES Council

Rodolphe Maheux has died, we have lost our president, we have lost a friend.

Thursday morning, 10th of May, I received an e-mail from Ali Akoum stating: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that my friend, colleague and close collaborator Dr Rodolphe Maheux passed away at his home yesterday”. And the world stopped for a second.

Rodolphe was only 56 when he died, at the summit of a scientific career, but at the same time highly respected by his patients. A great organiser, a considerate chairman, a wonderful friend. He was full of plans, especially for our society. It was only a few days before his sad demise that he sent me a copy of the 2nd edition of his “Handbook of hormonal contraception and office gynecology” which illustrated that he was not afraid to take strong stands on important issues. That’s also how he turned the World Endometriosis Society into what it is today. He not only talked about his plans, he realised them: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are: it might have been!”

I first met Rodolphe in 1989 in Houston, having a café latte during a break of the scientific sessions at the 2nd World Congress on Endometriosis. And we continued working together ever since, sometimes close, sometimes at a distance. Throughout the years it has been a great privilege to work with him, both in the informal years of the society and after Quebec, where, at HIS meeting, a real society (with bylaws) was established.

We have received so many letters of compassion and commiseration at his untimely death. On behalf of the WES I wish to thank you all for these. Rodolphe will be sadly missed by all of us, but first and foremost our thoughts are with his family.

For the World Endometriosis Society the loss is beyond repair. But in the spirit of Rodolphe: the society will continue its mission. Until the WES General Assembly in Melbourne on 13 March 2008, Robert Shaw (immediate past president) and I (president elect) will jointly take care of business together with our secretariat.

The WES Council has decided to name an award in the honour of Rodolphe for the best clinical abstract presented at the 10th World Congress on Endometriosis by a first author under the age of 35 at the time of the congress.

The winner of “The Rodolphe Maheux Award for Best Clinical Presentation by a Promising Young Clinician” will be presented with a cheque for €1,000 at the closing ceremony of WCE 2008.

Professor Hans Evers
President-elect

>> Rodolphe Maheux Award