I am writing from Brazil as I heard about Andrés passing
away. I feel terribly sad. I only wish I could have been close to him in his last moments
to say our goodbyes. His kindness, his warmth, his determination, his vision always
inspired me. I do not know why, but I cannot resist the feeling that today I have become
an orphan. He was a true generous friend and I will miss him immensely. His memory will
always be with me.
In this moment of deep sorrow I want you to know that I share your feelings and would like
to be with you to mourn his loss.
Armando Peruga (USA) |
We at the Centre for CVD Prevention are deeply saddened by
the unexpected, and certainly untimely, death of Dr. Andres Petrasovits. I met him for the
first when we hosted the G7 meeting in Udine, and we hit it right off; he was that kind of
person with whom you felt very at ease, as if you knew him for a lifetime. Those of us
(Laura and I) who have "met" him frequently either at conferences or by phone
will always remember him as a person truly dedicated to the cause, supportive, full of
initiative and optimism, in spite of his personal problems. His leadership in the G8 group
will surely be missed.
Diego Vanuzzo / Laura Pilotto (Italy) |
We are so sorry to receive this very sad news.
Will you please pass on our deep regrets and condolences but in the knowledge that the
legacy Andres has established will never die.
Keith Lewis (UK) |
This is devastating and upsetting news. Words fail me, save
to say that Andres is the most impressive man I have ever met.
Bill Archer (UK) |
I am just devastated by the news, although I did know that
he wasn't doing very well, but I guess I was hoping against hope. He will be sorely
missed; right now I can't even imagine a G8 meeting without him! We are all diminished by his passing.
Laura Piloto (Italy) |
This upsetting news is like a bolt from the blue for me and
my family, who know Andres well, since for some reason we were not aware of his disease.
His mystery for me was in the fact that being highly intelligent, a top level expert in
health related problems, at the same time he was also true expert in mathematics.
Vladislav Moltchanov (Finland) |
.... I loved the pictures you sent because they show Andres
happy in beautiful settings and I will keep them on my computer and look at them from time
to time and remember a man who was complex and special and so dedicated to his cause. I
really have never met anyone like him - his legacy is huge. I hope he knew how much he was
treasured by so many people.
Jennifer O'Loughlin (Canada) |
Dr. Petrasovits made an enormous contribution to the Heart
Health initiative across the country and around the world. His role in heart health
promotion has made a significant contribution to health promotion in general, particularly
in our province where his efforts in concert with others has resulted in the development
of sustained community capacity to promote health. The NF and Labrador
Heart Health Program held
a particular affection for Andres enjoying the many times he came to visit, we believe the
feeling was mutual. His leadership will be truly missed.
Gerald Smith, M.H.A Acting
Minister of Health, NF & Lab (Canada) |
Just a note to express my profound sadness at the passing
of our wonderful friend and colleague Andres. I know his passing is a great loss to us
all.
David MacLean (Canada) |
I am so extremely sad. Andres was the best friend and the
best co-worker. I will miss him all the days in my life. Worldwide public health will miss
him too.
Lluis Serra-Majem (Spain) |
Canada has lost a great man, and so did the cardiovascular
community. He will be remembered as a leader and a key figure for the prevention of
cardiovascular disease in Canada and for its promotion worldwide.
Gilles R. Dagenais (Canada) |
We often say that "personne n'est irremplaçable"
but certainly in my heart and the heart of many people there will never be another Andres
Petrosovits.
Lydia Dumais (Canada) |
Andres was a wonderful
ambassador for Health Canada and showed leadership and vision for all long
as I knew him (which was many many years). He leaves behind a wonderful
legacy and huge shoes to fill. He also leaves behind many friends and
colleagues who will deeply miss him as a gentle man, a man of wisdom and a
kind friend and colleague.
Nancy Garrard (Canada) |
I am very saddened by the news of Andres' passing. He truly
did have a heart of gold, and I will miss his presence, his old-world gallantry - so many
things about him. To say nothing of the huge loss to heart health in Canada and in the
world. Some people touch our lives and our world in ways that make a huge difference, and
Andres was one of them.
Rosemary Walker (Canada) |
My sympathies to you on the loss of our great visionary,
leader and friend, Andres.
Cynthia Smith (Canada) |
I was sad to hear the news. I will always remember Andres
as a sincere friend, fine person and great expert in his work.
Pekka Puska (Switzerland) |
Andres is one of those special people that I'll always
remember so fondly.
Rosemary Sloan (Canada) |
Andres was a valued colleague and will be missed by
everyone who was fortunate enough to work with him.
Brian Hyndman (Canada) |
Andres Petrasovits--His Memorable Attributes:
DIPLOMACY, MAGNETISM, ENERGY, WISDOM AND VISION
DIPLOMACY--With his charm and respect for formality, he blended disparate organizations
and people from different countries into productive
collaborations.
MAGNETISM--He attracted all of us to his ideas and dreams. For example, he persuaded this
expatriate Canadian (Farquhar) to return to now deeply treasured contacts with Canada,
Canadians and international health.
ENERGY--He never tired, his laptop was an extension of his brain and fingers. Even in his
illness he moved us forward in Heart Health Declarations and in his new endeavor of G-8
Telematics.
WISDOM--He had a greater grasp of the total picture than almost all of his scientific
peers. In contrast, most of us seem mired in technical details, bureaucracy and
reductionistic minutia.
VISION--He showed us a path to a brighter future, illuminated by
policies he knew were correct and by actions he knew would change our world for the
better.
We must both honor his record and build on his legacy.
And finally, on a personal level, our lives were made better by his presence. We pray that
he now knows how much we love him.
John W. Farquhar, (USA) |
When I joined the Nutrition Canada evaluation team in early
1973 I remember being a bit apprehensive about working with "high powered"
statistician that I had heard so much about. It was a groundless fear because we "hit
it off" immediately and worked closely together on the NC data evaluation over the
next few years. He was my oldest colleague and I will always remember him as an example of
the best values of public service-integrity, fairness, honesty, openness and good
communication( although we did often have a laugh together over his Spanish accent!).
Tony Myres (Canada) |
I had the honor to meet Andres because of the CARMEN
Program. I am extremely grateful for his support and also for his friendship. We shared
some good times together in the CARMEN-CINDI meetings, site visits, and had the privilege
of having him in Chile, twice. We are grateful for helping us getting started with the
CARMEN Program, first in Chile and later in other countries: Cuba, Costa Rica, Puerto
Rico, Brasil etc.
Andres, you are a great and very special man.
We will miss you in our meetings and I personally miss you already.
Cristina Escobar (CARMEN-Chile) |
I was shocked and saddened to hear about Andres' death. He
was an inspiration to all and a quiet innovator. He has made an enormous impact to heart
health nationally and internationally and will be sorely missed. I hope all of his
colleagues will immortalize his memory by sponsoring a named annual lecture in his name.
Aubie Angel (Canada) |
We all wish we could have just one more visit with Andres
to tell him how much he has meant to us. Andres was responsible for bringing Health Canada
and CDC together and we all feel his efforts changed the course of our work with Canada
and the world. We miss him more than words can express.
Gary Hogelin and all of Andres' friends at CDC. (USA) |
On behalf of the CARMEN programs of the Americas and the
Pan American Health Organization, we would like to express our condolences for the
death of Dr. Andres Petrasovits. He was a driving force behind the
efforts to develop our program, always ready to provide advice in very many different
ways. We were privileged to get to know him. Dr. Petrasovits will be dearly missed.
Sylvia Robles (Pan American Health Organization) |
We have all lost a little piece of ourselves with Andres'
passing. He was a most wonderful, knowledgeable, warm-hearted friend and a supportive,
most helpful colleague. He was a leader in health promotion and disease prevention
and his work has benefited many people not just in Canada but worldwide. We will all miss
him greatly.
Brian Gaffney (Northern Ireland) |
Dr Petrasovits was always a friend, adviser and
enthusiastic "supporter" of the CINDI-Catalonia Programme.
It was during a meeting on Hypertension in the Community which was held in Israel that
Andrés involved us in the CINDI International
Programme in 1993.
He transmitted his enthusiasm and helped us in organizing the Second International Heart
Health Conference in Barcelona in 1995.
With him we shared many unforgettable moments and learned from him almost everything is
possible if you have courage and
determination.
His death is an irreparable loss for us and we will always remember him.
Lluís Salleras, Helios Pardell, Ricard Tresserras, Eulàlia Roure (CINDI-Catalonia
Programme) |
I have many fond memories of Andres. I think of him as a
friend, coach, mentor and colleague. There is no question he was the guru of and brains
behind the CHHI. While dedication to the issue of heart health was unquestionable so was
his commitment to capacity building of the people to move both the topic and the system
forward. Not only was Andres there for me as a work colleague but also as a person. When
Gil, my husband, and I left to travel Latin America by bicycle Andres sent a note out to
his contacts in PAHO informing them of our visit. His thoughtfulness in doing so provided
us with a contact in each country and provided me with the feeling that there was someone
watching over us. It is these memories (coach, mentor, friend and advocate) along with his
love of good food and company that will live forever in my memory.
Lynne Blair (Canada) |
Me permite expresar mi profunda cosnternacion por esta perdida de un
personaje como Andres , tan excepcional por su generosidad, corrección y transparencia en su accionar
en la arena de la Promocion de la Salud, de las Enfermedades Cadiovasaculares.
Ximena Berríos, Chile |
Nunca olvidaremos su entrañable entrega a la labor de generador y promotor
incansable de las buenas ideas, su preocupación por la eficacia de las
acciones que llevaba hacia adelante, su habilidad para conocer y saltar por
sobre todas las barreras que se opusieran a los innumerables y nobles
proyectos que impulsaba de manera simultánea, su capacidad de trabajo y
servicio a los demás.
Alfredo Espinosa Brito, Cuba |
I
feel that Andres Petrasovits is irreplaceable in our lives. Life is
diminished without the warmth of his personality and his wise judgment in
discussions.
Perhaps a very special trait of his character was his tactfulness. I had
many encounters and discussions with Andres in person and by phone over
the last ten years and our communications were always rewardingly pleasant
because of his sensitivity to the opinions of others.
I have had the privilege of collaborating with Andres since 1990.
Collaboration nearly always included Sylvie Stachenko, whose
judgment Andres valued so much (though I suspect Sylvie relied very much
on his opinion too). Our work together spanned my years of service with
WHO/Copenhagen as CINDI Program regional coordinator (1990-95) and at the
Moscow National Centre of Preventive Medicine following my return to
Russia in 1996.
Andres together with Sylvie introduced policy
development (or attention to and processes of) into WHO/CINDI program. This
innovative policy development played quite an important role determining
the fate and shape of the Program during the following ten years. They
also established the WHO Collaborating Centre on NCD Policy Development at
Health Canada, which contributed much to development of CINDI in Europe as
well as helping to initiate and stimulate development of the CARMEN
Program in the Americas. I am quite certain that the policy development
issues from these programs will be introduced into the current WHO Global
NCD Prevention and Control Program.
Andres, again with Sylvie, initiated health and NCD policy development in
Russia. It was undertaken with participation of the Russian Ministry of
Health, various Russian experts, and the WHO. It was a real breakthrough
for Russia.
This work continues to play a significant role in Russia now.
The
last few years of work with Andres on the Second CINDI Policy Survey
resulted in an extraordinarily interesting and innovative international
analysis that was published as a report. Andres was full of plans on how
to continue and further improve the analysis and how to develop the
qualitative assessment of preventive projects and programs.
I
regret so much that we cannot discuss these issues anymore with Andres.
Igor Glasunov (Russian Federation) |
He will continue to inspire us all to fight for the best in
the civil service because that is what he was -- among so many other superlatives.
Carol Jerusalem (Canada) |
| |
| |
| |
