Professor Kees Dejong (1961-2022) was a distinguished Dutch surgeon and researcher, renowned for his contributions to hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery and perioperative care. His career was marked by a steadfast commitment to improving patient outcomes, pioneering surgical techniques, and mentoring the next generation of medical professionals.

Born in Maastricht, the Netherlands, Dejong pursued his medical studies at Radboud University Nijmegen. He returned to his hometown for his doctoral research, earning a PhD in 1993 with a thesis on metabolic changes in liver failure. He completed his surgical training at Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+) in 1997.

After completing his training, Dejong served as a Senior Lecturer and Consultant Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh from 1998 to 2000 He then returned to Maastricht, where he was appointed Professor of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery in 2008. He led the Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncological Surgery from 2008 to 2018 and served as Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery between 2007 and 2009.

Dejong's clinical focus was on HPB surgery and optimizing perioperative care. He was a co-founder of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society and played a pivotal role in establishing laparoscopic liver surgery in the Netherlands. He led a significant implementation study of ERAS protocols across 31 Dutch hospitals.

Dejong published over 400 peer-reviewed articles and supervised 32 PhD candidates. His research interests included liver metabolism, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and the gut-liver axis He directed the Metabolic Laboratory of the Department of Surgery from 2006 to 2012 and was actively involved with the NUTRIM research school.

Dejong held numerous leadership roles in professional societies. He served as Editor of the British Journal of Surgery from 2007 to 2019, President of the Dutch Liver Working Group, President of the Dutch Chapter of the International HPB Association, Secretary General of the European-African HPB Association, and Secretary General Elect of the International HPB Association.

Throughout his career, Dejong received several prestigious awards, including the Glaxo Gastroenterology Prize (1994), the Niels Stensen Fellowship (1998), and the Frieda den Hartog Jager Prize (2020). In 2014, he was appointed Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (ad hominem), and in 2022, he was honored with the Gold Medal of the Dutch Society of Surgery and granted Honorary Membership of the IHPBA.