Professor Leslie Harold Blumgart (1931-2022) was a pioneering figure in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery, whose innovations and mentorship shaped the modern landscape of liver, pancreas, and bile duct surgery.

Born in Benoni, South Africa, Blumgart later pursued medicine in the United Kingdom, obtaining his medical degree and surgical training in Sheffield. His academic career began in Cardiff, where he served as Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the University Department of Surgery at the Welsh National Medical School from 1970 to 1972.

Blumgart held several prominent positions throughout his career. He was the St. Mungo Professor of Surgery at Glasgow Royal Infirmary (1972-1979), Director and Honorary Consultant Surgeon at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Hammersmith Hospital in London (1979-1986), and Professor and Director of the Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery at the University of Bern in Switzerland (1986-1991).

In 1991, he joined Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York as Chief of the HPB Service and held the Enid A. Haupt Chair in Surgery. There, he built one of the world's premier HPB programs and mentored a generation of surgical oncologists.

Blumgart was instrumental in transforming HPB surgery from high-risk procedures to safer, multidisciplinary treatments. He authored over 500 peer-reviewed articles, edited 15 books, and contributed to more than 150 book chapters. His textbook, Blumgart's Surgery of the Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreas, remains a cornerstone in the field.

A founding member and former president of the International Biliary Association (now the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association), he was honored as a "Living Legend" by the organization. He received numerous accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the European Society of Surgical Oncology in 2014.

Known affectionately as "the Professor," Blumgart was also a talented sculptor. He is survived by his wife, Sarah, their children, and grandchildren.