Professor John M. Goldman passed away in London on December 24, after three weeks of a most aggressive and fatal illness. Some of us had seen him or spoken to him until very recently in the usual friendly and pro-active way.
While others will underline his long and outstanding career, always based at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, his major contributions to the understanding and cure of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the endless list of colleagues from all countries who over the years benefitted from his knowledge, his innumerous prizes and recognitions, as well as society presidencies and journal editorship, we wish to recall the primary role played by John in the birth, growth and well-being of the European Hematology Association (EHA).
John M. Goldman
He was in fact one of the founding members of EHA, the small group of hematologists who believed that Europe deserved its own society/association. This is how EHA started in 1992. Certainly, the growth that EHA has witnessed over the years is a major credit to those illuminating figures. His involvement within EHA remained of primary importance. For 6 years he was part of the Executive Committee of EHA, first as President-Elect, then as President (in the years 1996–1998) and finally as Past-President. During this period, he also acted as President of the 5 Congress of EHA that took place in Birmingham in June 2000. As a recognition of his most important contributions to the progress of hematology, in 2008 during the 13 EHA Congress in Copenhagen he was awarded the José Carreras Award, the most prestigious award of EHA. He then had a major role in the establishment of The Hematology Journal, the official journal of EHA, for which he held the position of Editor-in-Chief in the years 2001–2003. Few people know that in fact The Hematology Journal eventually obtained a more than satisfactory Impact Factor, thanks to the work of the Editors – like John Goldman – and the Editorial Board. In 2005 The Hematology Journal merged with Haematologica, to become a very successful journal. Until his death, he was also the Chairman of the Scientific Working Group of EHA on CML, a position that nobody ever questioned.
Aside from his many undisputable professional achievements, at EHA we wish to underline the friendship that has nurtured with many other colleagues during the >20 years growth of EHA. His unexpected and abrupt death has left us disconcerted. He will not be forgotten within EHA, as well as within the hematologic community. Along these lines and as a tribute to him, we wish to report some testimonies of this close and prolonged relationship on the EHA website (www.ehaweb.org).