13 Jan Obituary Andrej Banič

Andrej Banič, our dear friend, colleague, teacher and mentor passed away on January 13, 2023 after a long battle with illness.

Andrej was born December 5, 1947 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He studied medicine and got his training in Plastic Surgery at the department of Plastic Surgery and Burns at the University Hospital in Ljubljana. In 1983 he left Slovenia for a period of six years to work as a consultant plastic surgeon in Kuwait. Andrej moved to Switzerland in 1989 and started working in the department of Plastic Surgery at the Inselspital in Bern, first as Deputy Head and after being promoted to Professor in 1999 as Head of the department a year later. He got his PhD at the faculty of Health and Science, Linköping University, Sweden.

Andrej was an all-round plastic surgeon with special interest in reconstructive (micro) surgery, head and neck reconstruction, hand surgery and burns. Next to being a great plastic surgeon, he was an experienced deep-water diver and enjoyed diving together with his son Borut in the most beautiful diving spots of the world. Many of us know him from the European Association of Plastic Surgeons (EURAPS), where he was a member from the start, treasurer from 2002-2009 and President 2011-2012. He was for many years a valued member of the Alpine Workshop (AWS) and organized several very successful Alpine Workshops in Flims and Grindelwald.

He was admired for his extensive clinical experience and his warm personality, hence his presence at both meetings will be missed. Especially his thoughtful comments that were always “bullseye”, but with respect for those who presented. He guided us with brilliant solutions for often difficult problems. Andrej was a great teacher, sharp and clear. Therefore, it was not a surprise that he was intensely involved in the European Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (EBOPRAS), at first as Council member and in later years as chairman, President and treasurer. His contributions to Plastic Surgery are numerous and his input helped to make both EURAPS and the AWS more attractive and better organized.

Andrej Banič is survived by Martina, his daughter Staša, his sons Matjaž and Borut, his daughter-in-law Daša and his grandchildren Max and Michelle. He left us suddenly and too early. Andrej will be remembered and will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.