Professor Goran Åkerström 1946–2026

It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of one of the true icons in Endocrine Surgery, Professor Göran Åkerström. Göran was a thoughtful surgeon, dedicated researcher, a trusted mentor and dear friend to so many of us in the International Association of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES). However, I would venture to guess, many of our membership today never had the privileged or opportunity to meet this great man, yet the legacy of his work lives on and is very much ingrained in the hands and skills of today's surgeons. Professor Åkerström's impact on endocrine surgery started with his seminal work on parathyroids; documenting their histology, physiology, and the anatomical distribution of the glands. Throughout the 1980s, Göran studied the parenchyma cell mass of both diseased and normal parathyroid glands, was involved in the early studies of ultrasound location and recognized, then documented the vague cognitive symptoms impacting HPT patients. In the 1990s, he championed the surgical management of midgut neuroendocrine tumors, teaching us how to assess resectability and safely resect extensive mesenteric disease, improving the QoL for hundreds of patients. In the next two decades of his career, Professor Åkerström took on leadership roles in the IAES that were fundamental in helping this organization grow and become the society we are today. He was Secretary Treasurer from 1997 to 2003 and led our organization as President from 2007 to 2009. In 2011, following in the footsteps of Theodor Kocher, Professor Åkerström became President of the International Society of Surgery. On a personal note, Göran was a delightful gentleman who was genuinely interested in the young surgeons of the IAES. I remember fondly meeting him for the first time; his kindness and generosity with his time truly defined him. He was instrumental in promoting the next generation of researchers, mentoring hundreds of surgical investigators worldwide. He was a wonderful teacher, and I was blessed to have had the opportunity to work with him at several IAES Post-Graduated Courses. It was on those trips that I got to witness his wonderful sense of humor, inquisitive mind, and an intense curiosity of the world around him. He will be missed. Yet, the impact he had on endocrine surgery will live on for generations to come, in his scientific work, through the surgical skills he taught his mentees and by the legacy he leaves imprinted in the IAES. Our thoughts are with his family and colleagues in Uppsala as they mourn his loss. Take comfort knowing that his soul now rests in peace. In the words of Lord Alfred Tennyson “God's finger touched him, and he slept.” Janice L. Pasieka: conceptualization, writing – original draft, writing – review and editing. The author has nothing to report. The author declares no conflicts of interest. The author has nothing to report.