We are extremely saddened by the passing of Prof.Wei-liu Qiu (figure 1) on May 24, 2024 at the age of 92. Hailed as "the father of plastic surgery in China", Prof. Wei-liu Qiu was one of the founders and pioneers of oral and maxillofacial surgery in China, and the first member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in the field of stomatology.
Figure 1. Photo of Prof. Wei-liu Qiu.
Prof. Wei-liu Qiu was an Honorary Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a tenured Professor at the Ninth People’s Hospital and the former president of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University and director of the university’s College of Stomatology. He has been engaged in medical teaching and research for more than 60 years and has set a number of records in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery, and cured numerous patients.
When reflecting on his life, Prof. Qiu says in an emotional tone, “patients are teachers of doctors, and they bring us more than what we have given to them. Therefore, we should ‘be bending our bodies as doctors, not holding our heads high’.” (1)
Even at the age of nearly 90, Prof. Qiu had continued to see patients, instruct students and conduct research. He sited in his outpatient office half a day every week, offering some treatment advice to patients. He also compiled manuscripts to provide learning materials for students.
With a long-time dream of publishing an English journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery, Prof. Wei-liu Qiu realized this dream in May 2019 by supporting the launch and being the Honorary Editor-in-Chief of the Frontiers of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine (FOMM), the official publication of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. In March 2022, we have the pleasure to work with Prof. Hong Jiang, Prof. Ming Xia and Prof. Wei-liu Qiu to launch Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Anesthesia (JOMA) with Prof. Qiu being the Honorary Editor-in-Chief.
“A journal is the mouthpiece of a medical discipline and reflects the status of the discipline. A discipline is deficient without a journal. I hope FOMM will be helpful in further expanding the influence of China’s oral and maxillofacial medicine on the world stage…I think it’s very enlightening. It’s more than enough to enjoy our own life; we don’t have to think about anything else; everybody, especially researchers, must not give up their dream; my dream is to bring our surgical skills to the rest of the world.” Prof. Qiu said in an interview conducted in 2019 for FOMM (1).
We will continue to follow the guidance that Prof. Qiu had given to FOMM and JOMA. We also reflect on Prof. Qiu’s enduring spirit, his unwavering commitment to patient care, medical advancement and medical education. His legacy is immortalized in the countless lives he touched and the standards of excellence he set. Prof. Qiu’s memory will forever be a beacon of inspiration, guiding us toward a brighter future in the field of medicine.
Prof. Qiu will be missed by all.
References
1. Liao L, Gao C. Prof. Weiliu Qiu: be a “bowing” doctor. Front Oral Maxillofac Med 2019;1:5.