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In Memory of Professor Patrick Netter
by Olga Surdu, FEMTEC President
It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Professor Patrick Netter, who died in Nancy on 8 August 2026 at the age of seventy-eight. With him, France loses one of the most authoritative figures in thermal medicine, and I lose someone I had the privilege of knowing and admiring.
Born in Épinal on 8 October 1947, Netter dedicated his life to uniting patient care with scientific research, becoming a hospital intern in Nancy in 1972 and Professor of Pharmacology in 1981. His studies on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of joint diseases earned him international recognition, with over four hundred scientific publications.
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Nancy from 2003 to 2008, he went on to lead major French national institutions, from the CNRS to the University of Lorraine, and later served as expert adviser to the French Court of Auditors. A member of the French National Academy of Medicine, he was awarded some of France's highest honours, including the Legion of Honour, received at the Élysée Palace in March 2024.
It was in his commitment to thermal medicine, however, that I came to appreciate his true worth. Netter believed the future of thermal medicine had to rest on clinical research and rigorous evidence, never opposing tradition to modern science. He was a founding member of the Association des Amis du Thermalisme and had supported the Université du Thermalisme from its earliest years, bringing to it the authority of a physician, researcher and academician.
Yet those who knew him will remember him above all for something else: his discretion, his ability to listen, his simplicity. A man who placed his experience at the service of others without ever seeking the spotlight, for whom knowledge had value only when shared, and for whom rigour was never at odds with kindness and loyalty.
On behalf of the entire FEMTEC family, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to Professor Netter's wife, daughters, grandchildren, family, colleagues and friends.
He will be missed at our meetings and in our shared reflections. But his teaching, his loyalty and the trust he placed in us will continue to guide us for many years to come.
Thank you, Professor Patrick Netter, for everything you built, taught and shared with us. |
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In Memory of Professor Patrick Netter
by Olga Surdu, FEMTEC President
It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Professor Patrick Netter, who died in Nancy on 8 August 2026 at the age of seventy-eight. With him, France loses one of the most authoritative figures in thermal medicine, and I lose someone I had the privilege of knowing and admiring.
Born in Épinal on 8 October 1947, Netter dedicated his life to uniting patient care with scientific research, becoming a hospital intern in Nancy in 1972 and Professor of Pharmacology in 1981. His studies on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of joint diseases earned him international recognition, with over four hundred scientific publications.
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Nancy from 2003 to 2008, he went on to lead major French national institutions, from the CNRS to the University of Lorraine, and later served as expert adviser to the French Court of Auditors. A member of the French National Academy of Medicine, he was awarded some of France's highest honours, including the Legion of Honour, received at the Élysée Palace in March 2024.
It was in his commitment to thermal medicine, however, that I came to appreciate his true worth. Netter believed the future of thermal medicine had to rest on clinical research and rigorous evidence, never opposing tradition to modern science. He was a founding member of the Association des Amis du Thermalisme and had supported the Université du Thermalisme from its earliest years, bringing to it the authority of a physician, researcher and academician.
Yet those who knew him will remember him above all for something else: his discretion, his ability to listen, his simplicity. A man who placed his experience at the service of others without ever seeking the spotlight, for whom knowledge had value only when shared, and for whom rigour was never at odds with kindness and loyalty.
On behalf of the entire FEMTEC family, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to Professor Netter's wife, daughters, grandchildren, family, colleagues and friends.
He will be missed at our meetings and in our shared reflections. But his teaching, his loyalty and the trust he placed in us will continue to guide us for many years to come.
Thank you, Professor Patrick Netter, for everything you built, taught and shared with us. |
BACK TO MAIN PAGE
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In Memory of Professor Patrick Netter
by Olga Surdu, FEMTEC President
It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Professor Patrick Netter, who died in Nancy on 8 August 2026 at the age of seventy-eight. With him, France loses one of the most authoritative figures in thermal medicine, and I lose someone I had the privilege of knowing and admiring.
Born in Épinal on 8 October 1947, Netter dedicated his life to uniting patient care with scientific research, becoming a hospital intern in Nancy in 1972 and Professor of Pharmacology in 1981. His studies on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of joint diseases earned him international recognition, with over four hundred scientific publications.
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Nancy from 2003 to 2008, he went on to lead major French national institutions, from the CNRS to the University of Lorraine, and later served as expert adviser to the French Court of Auditors. A member of the French National Academy of Medicine, he was awarded some of France's highest honours, including the Legion of Honour, received at the Élysée Palace in March 2024.
It was in his commitment to thermal medicine, however, that I came to appreciate his true worth. Netter believed the future of thermal medicine had to rest on clinical research and rigorous evidence, never opposing tradition to modern science. He was a founding member of the Association des Amis du Thermalisme and had supported the Université du Thermalisme from its earliest years, bringing to it the authority of a physician, researcher and academician.
Yet those who knew him will remember him above all for something else: his discretion, his ability to listen, his simplicity. A man who placed his experience at the service of others without ever seeking the spotlight, for whom knowledge had value only when shared, and for whom rigour was never at odds with kindness and loyalty.
On behalf of the entire FEMTEC family, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to Professor Netter's wife, daughters, grandchildren, family, colleagues and friends.
He will be missed at our meetings and in our shared reflections. But his teaching, his loyalty and the trust he placed in us will continue to guide us for many years to come.
Thank you, Professor Patrick Netter, for everything you built, taught and shared with us. |
BACK TO MAIN PAGE
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