In memoriam Professor Jan Raaijmakers
On Saturday, 14 October, we received the mournful news that Jan Raaijmakers had passed away. Jan had been ill for some time, but he never let it keep him from contributing to Life Sciences in general, and to the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences specifically. Even between treatments, his weekly visits to the David de Wied building would inspire and cheer everyone present.
After his studies and his PhD research into respiratory diseases at the UMC Utrecht, Jan spent 25 years in a variety of positions at GlaxoSmithKline. From 2009 until his retirement in 2014, he served as the Vice President External Scientific Collaborations Europe. Since 1998, he also served as the chair of the Pharmaceutical Technology Assessment group at what was then known as the Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty, first as Endowed Professor and then from 2008 as full Professor.
His strategic insight, his network and his success in the field of pharmaceutical innovation led Minister Kamp of Economic Affairs to appoint him as the symbolic leader of the top sector Life Sciences & Health in March 2015. In October 2016, he was presented with a Royal Honour as Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
Jan鈥檚 unbridled energy and his affable communication style inspired and encouraged many people, including our students, to work in the pharmaceutical sector and in collaborative efforts in the field. He was passionate about promoting dialogue between the pharmaceutical industry, government and academia. In so doing, he served as a true ambassador for the development of innovative medications, with a special focus on collaboration between researchers. Under his leadership, many successful initiatives were launched to encourage public-private partnerships in the field of health care in the Netherlands.
Jan was an exceptionally energetic and inspiring colleague, who never hesitated to offer cleverly worded and constructive criticism, always accompanied with a touch of humour. But he was also a great inspiration for students, and he enjoyed sharing his ideas about issues pertaining to research and education with them. In all of his actions, he never lost sight of the human dimension, and he was a builder of bridges pur sang.
He was a remarkable personality whom we will sorely miss, as a person, as a source of inspiration, as a colleague and as a leader. Our thoughts are with his wife Rian, his children Hanneke and Adriaan, and the rest of his family.