Remembering Georg Bartsch

The urology community lost a prostate cancer pioneer on 16 January with the death of Georg Bartsch. I mourn the passing of a friend and an esteemed colleague. Georg was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology at the University of Innsbruck, a position he held since 1987, and he was also Vice President of Clinical Affairs. He did his premedical education in Innsbruck and received his medical degree from that University. A prolifi c author and researcher, Georg received countless awards during his lifetime, including the Grosshadern Prize for Innovation in Urology and the Life Award from the American Urological Association.

Known as the ‘ doyen of prostate cancer research ’ , Georg was inspired to become a urologist by his mother. As he recounted to Darracott Vaughan in an interview published in BJUI in February 2008, he was the only child of parents who divorced. His mother was dying from urosepsis due to bilateral ureteric stones, when by chance he met Professor Hans Marberger, one of the titans of world urology. Dr Marberger saved Georg ’ s mother ’ s life and his commitment to becoming a urologist began.

An innovator in many aspects of urology, especially prostate cancer and BPH, Georg was infl uenced greatly not only by Hans Marberger but also by other great names in urology, such as Patrick Walsh and Don

Coffey. A visit to the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland ‘ totally changed ’ him as he recalled. The Brady model of patient care and research under one roof became the major inspiration to him when he developed his own department in Innsbruck.

When I asked him to become an Associate Editor to the BJUI , he accepted immediately. His specifi c brief was the Investigative Urology section and together with his colleagues Zoran Culig and Helmut Klocker, he radically changed the direction of this section. I am extremely grateful to him for his considerable and outstanding help.

By his own account, he made 127 visits to the USA. Whenever possible, he attended performances of the Metropolitan Opera and concerts at Carnegie Hall. A true family man, he was an avid dog lover and enjoyed mountain climbing. As he put it: ‘ Living in the Alps, you enjoy your life in the mountains, their animals and fl owers ’ . The Alps will never be the same without his footsteps.

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