It was with great sadness that we learned of the sudden passing of William Rogers at the age of 42, on Saturday, September 17, 2022.

As an early-stage researcher, Will was part of the PREDICT consortium, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie innovative training network. He started his PhD in Milan at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in 2018 and in 2019 joined the department of Precision Medicine at Maastricht University. His research consisted of using radiomics and deep learning for improving the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer.

During his first years, he explored the potential of radiomics and deep learning in oncology, leading to a well-cited paper in The British Journal of Radiology. He later chose to study transformers and their application to medical imaging, with the goal of creating a model which can better interpolate CT-scans than currently used techniques. His paper on this topic was well advanced in the reviewing process of Computers in Biology and Medicine.

Will was a very dedicated student, passionate about his work and at all times willing to help his colleagues. He was always friendly and open to joining any kind of activity. Lately, he developed a passion for bouldering, skating and snowboarding, which he gladly shared with his friends and colleagues.

The loss of Will has deeply saddened our department and our thoughts go out to the family and friends he left behind.

On behalf of his colleagues in the Department of Precision Medicine.

With deep sadness, we learned of the death of Prof. dr. G.I.J.M. (Ruud) Kempen. Ruud passed away in the evening of August 30 at the age of 65, in the presence of his wife Anita and his family.

Ruud started working at Maastricht University in 1998 as associate professor at the Department of Medical Sociology. As professor of Social Gerontology he transferred to the Department of Health Care & Nursing Science in 2008. As a duo chair of that department, he was a co‑initiator in establishing the current department of Health Services Research.

Ruud is the founder of social gerontology at Maastricht University. He stood at the cradle of scientific research into care of older people at our university and was a pillar of the Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care Limburg. Ruud Kempen received a lot of national and international recognition for his research. For his many merits, he received, among other things, the honorary membership of NVG-KNOWS. Under his chair, the World Congress of the IAGG was brought to the Netherlands, which will take place in 2026.

Ruud supervised many PhD students and guided them to successful defences. He continued this roll for as long as his illness allowed and one of his last PhD students will be defending her dissertation on 14 September. Ruud also received a lot of recognition for his contributions to education and, for many years, he was the coordinator of the bachelor Health Sciences. Ruud was also very active within the organization: during his career, he has been a member of the faculty board, a department chair, a leader of various research programs within the CAPHRI research school, a member of the HSR management team and a member of the executive board of the Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care Limburg.

Modesty and collegiality were typical characteristics of Ruud. In his work, he was extremely disciplined, always prepared in detail and punctual. Ruud was also extremely involved with colleagues, with the ins and outs of the department and university. This interest in everyone and everything remained even during his illness, which lasted for over two years. That process has been very harsh on him and Anita with many treatments, moments of hope and disappointment, joy and sadness. Ruud dealt with his illness like the scientist he was. He searched for literature and explained in detail to us the treatments and their evidence. In this way, he kept control of the situation he was in for as long as possible. Despite knowing he would not win the battle in the end.

Maastricht University and the Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care Limburg are extremely grateful to Ruud Kempen. Thanks to him, a solid foundation for future scientific education and research contributes to the further substantiation of care for older people. We wish Anita and Ruud’s family our sincere condolences with this great loss.

Colleagues of the Health Services Research department and the Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care Limburg

The funeral service will be held in private.
There is, however, the possibility to say goodbye to Ruud in person:

• Sunday 4 September 17.30 until 19.00; La Grande Suisse, Mariënwaard 61, Maastricht or;
• Monday 5 September 19.00 until 21.00; Fiore Uitvaartzorg, Kerkpad 17 in Sint Hubert (Noord Brabant).

In April a farewell interview with Ruud was published (in Dutch), which can be read here.

As per tradition, we opened our new academic year 2022-2023 on 5 September at the Theater aan het Vrijthof. The programme included an inspiring keynote speech by Minister of Education, Culture and Science Robbert Dijkgraaf, a celebration of Young Universities for the Future of Europe. (YUFE), and the annual Student Award, the Edmond Hustinx Prize and the Medallion of Honour.
 

  See photos or browse the interactive video of the event. Or watch the aftermovie here. 

  Click on the icon to see the whole series
Photos: Philip Driessen

• 19:00 - 19:30 Walk-in
• 19:30 - 20:15 Presentation, practical info and picking up new clothes
• 20:15 - 20:30 Picture taking
• 20:30 - 21:30 Drinks

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