Richard Van Praagh—an appreciation

Abstract With the passing of Richard Van Praagh in September of 2025, paediatric cardiology has lost one of its giants. With one of his greatest contributions, namely the segmental approach, he revolutionised the practice of paediatric cardiology. He and Stella, his wife and closest collaborator, developed the Cardiac Registry at Boston Children’s Hospital and published more than 300 articles. Together, they trained many fellows, with endless generosity and dedication, and gave conferences all over the world, spreading their ideas and concepts. Richard will be sorely missed, but he has transmitted to us the desire and the tools to continue to build on his firm foundations.