(6 November 1953 – 24 July 2020)

Professor Sylejman (Kadrush) Rexhepi, MD, PhD passed away on July 24, 2020 at the age of 66 after contracting coronavirus. He was a distinguished internist-rheumatologist and university professor with a 40-year career at the University Clinical Center in Kosovo (UCCK). He is deeply mourned by his wife Mevlyde, his children Mjellma, Blerta, Lura, and Gresa, grandchildren Heron, Troja, and Diell, as well as other family members and friends.

Professor Sylejman Rexhepi was born on November 6, 1953 in Ferizaj, where he completed his primary and secondary education. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the “Hasan Prishtina” University of Prishtina in 1979, and completed his specialization in Internal Medicine at the University of Nish in 1985. He continued his postgraduate studies in Rheumatology at the University of Zagreb in 1987, where he received a Master of Medical Sciences degree in 1991. Eager for further education and learning, he enrolled in PhD studies at the “Hasan Prishtina” University in Prishtina, earning his Doctor of Medical Sciences degree in 1997.

His work experience was extensive. He started working as a general practitioner at the Primary Health Center in Ferizaj on March 12, 1979. From 1983 to 1990 he was employed in the UCCK Department of Internal Medicine. During the 1990s, Kosovo experienced political challenges when Serbian forces suppressed its autonomy, which caused high unemployment. A large number of Kosovars working in the public sector lost their jobs, and thus Professor Rexhepi established his own private clinic “Rheuma” in Ferizaj and in Prishtina in 1990. After Kosovo attained independence in 1999, he resumed his position at the UCCK, where he worked until his retirement in 2018. He was head of the Rheumatology Department from 1999 to 2012. In 2012 the Rheumatology Clinic was established, and Professor Rexhepi was appointed its Director, a position he held until 2015. His colleagues consider him the main contributor to the development of rheumatology in Kosovo.

Professor Rexhepi was also head of the Department of Internal Medicine for several years. He had an excellent relationship with his patients. A great listener, he was known among his patients as a physician who “could cure with his kind words”. They were allowed to express their major concerns and always felt understood. In addition, Professor Rexhepi taught Internal Medicine courses at the “Hasan Prishtina” University of Prishtina Faculty of Medicine from 1987 to 2019, first as a teaching assistant, and later as an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor. He educated new generations of students of General Medicine, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, and Nursing, acting as a facilitator in bringing across information and new concepts in the field of internal medicine. He used a democratic and proactive system of teaching, allowing students to participate in the decision-making process during the semester. He was also a strong advocate of bringing the real world to the classroom by incorporating authentic case studies of patients with various diseases. His door was always open for students to discuss any questions that they might have. His goal was to provide a learning experience that would enable the student to have the opportunity to effectively contribute and excel in the medical environment.

Professor Rexhepi led a scientific project on Rheumatic Fever. One of his main contributions in the early phase of development of rheumatology in Kosovo was the organization of five symposiums on rheumatic fever and one on ankylosing spondylitis in the period 1987–1989. It is of crucial importance to highlight that he was the organizer of four symposiums: Updates in Rheumatology in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2006. From 1995 to 2018, he was a mentor and committee member for numerous PhD and master candidates. Also, he was chairman and member of the Specialist Examination Committee during the period 1999–2018. He also served as a mentor or committee member for specialist exams in the fields of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, Allergology with Immunology, Endocrinology, etc. Besides, he was head of the Nursing and Midwifery Department from March 2016 to 2018.

A big step for Kosovo rheumatology was the establishment of the Association of Rheumatologists of Kosovo, with Professor Rexhepi as president from 2012. Largely owing to his efforts, the association was very active – he was organizing chairman of four National Rheumatology Congresses with international participation. The main topics of the congresses included rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and other rheumatic diseases. The meetings and exchange of experiences among various health care professionals contributed to the advancement of Kosovo rheumatology. Fortunately, Professor Rexhepi had an extended network established during his participation in numerous conferences around the world, which made it possible to bring many well-known rheumatologists to Kosovo.

Professor Rexhepi authored the university textbook “Rheumatology” (2006) for medical students and rheumatology residents of the “Hasan Prishtina” University of Prishtina. He coordinated and contributed to the Albanian translation of a University of Oxford textbook on Rheumatology. Another contribution was his translation of the textbook Propedeutics in Internal Medicine; he also prepared Chapter 11, Examination of the locomotor system (Prishtina, 2016).

Professor Rexhepi published papers in internationally renowned journals as well as books. He participated in over 50 international and national conferences. His research work was mainly in the field of internal medicine, rheumatoid arthritis, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), combined therapy with methotrexate, and osteoporosis. His contributions appeared in international journals such as Arthritis Research and Therapy, Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, The Journal of Rheumatology, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis & Rheumatology, Reumatizam, Open Access Macedonian Journal Medical Science, Medical Archive, Materia Socio Medica, Acta Rheumatologica, and many others. Furthermore, he was an active member on a QUEST-RA group project with rheumatoid arthritis patients that involved many European countries.

His awards, memberships, and activities include:

2007–2020: member of the Croatian Society for Rheumatology (HRD), which is part of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)

2009–2020: reviewer in the journal Medicus, Macedonia

2010–2020: member of the Editorial Board of Medicus, Macedonia

2011: award for the presentation

of an original scientific work at the Rheumatology International Congress (BRIC) in Tokyo

2011–2012: president of the Kosovo Osteoporosis Association

2012–2020: president of the Association of Rheumatologists of Kosovo

2015–2020: member of the International Osteoporosis Federation (IOF)

2016: reviewer in the journal Reumatizam, Croatia

Professor Rexhepi took part in different professional training programs. More specifically, in 1983 he was an Internal Medicine resident at the University Hospital in Bologna. He also completed a postgraduate course in Internal Medicine-Rheumatology at the University of Hamburg in 2002.

Professor Rexhepi was an exemplary professor as well as a man of broad culture. He was not only a dedicated and hard-working physician, but also a noble, loyal, and charismatic person, a very passionate man who deeply cared about people. The moment you spoke to him about medicine, his eyes would light up. His work on improvements in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, with his two daughters and other professionals in the field, provided ongoing hope and optimism. Every day, for him, was a gift of the opportunity to care for patients in their most vulnerable times. Despite the stress and long hours away from home and family, he never stopped helping people. He really loved his work, and being fit and healthy, he wanted to give his utmost to educate new generations of doctors and cure patients.

He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend who loved to entertain. To those close to him, he was known as a great basketball player, a man with a beautiful handwriting, good at keeping confidences, and a guardian angel to his friends. As an enthusiastic explorer, he always wanted to learn about new cultures through travelling and keeping memories alive through photography, which he adored. He enjoyed spending time with his family and loved ones. His wife remembers him as her soulmate and a people person with an open heart for everyone. He turned every little daily annoyance or happiness into a story, and he shared all those stories joyfully. Professor Rexhepi touched many lives, including those of the people he worked with, and especially his two daughters who followed him in his profession.

Professor Rexhepi had good connections with Croatian rheumatology, marked by close collaboration. He actively participated in almost all Croatian national rheumatology congresses, published articles in the journal Reumatizam, and reviewed manuscripts. Also, Croatian rheumatologists were always pleased to accept invitations for lectures at rheumatology congresses and other events in Kosovo. Apart from his professional and scientific achievements, the Croatian rheumatology community will always remember Professor Rexhepi for his exceptional kindness and friendship.

Professor Sylejman Rexhepi passed away prematurely, leaving an irreplaceable gap both for his family and friends, as well as for his patients and the whole medical community.

On behalf of the

Croatian Society for Rheumatology

Branimir Anić

and Simeon Grazio