The Solly Marks Visiting Professorship is a highlight in the calendar of the Division of Gastroenterology. This visiting professorship is an initiative of the Division of Gastroenterology under the auspices of the Department of Medicine (DOM) which was promulgated after Prof Marks’ passing in 2012. This was done in recognition of the immensurable contributions of Prof Solly Marks, who is widely regarded as the godfather of gastroenterology in South Africa by the gastroenterology community both nationally as well as internationally. The aim of the Solly Marks Visiting Professorship is to invite a leading academic gastroenterologist to the division for a week, to stimulate academic gastroenterology in the clinical and research aspects.

Amongst the many academic activities planned, is an eponymous lecture that is delivered at the DOM Thursday Forum slot. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the late Prof Mayosi, Emeritus Professors Bornman and Thomson, and the many sponsors for the creation of this professorship.

Prof Marks not only established the first GIT unit in SA in 1959, but under his leadership the clinic quickly became known for excellent clinical service with an outstanding research and publication output. He was also the founder of the South African Gastroenterology Society (SAGES) in 1962, its president from 1962-1975, and subsequently sworn in as Life President. He received many prestigious awards and produced more than 400 publications.

The Solly Marks Visiting Professor for 2022 was Prof Peter Malfertheiner. He was Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases at the Otto v. Guericke University of Magdeburg in Germany, from 1995 until 2016. Since January 2018 he has been a Senior Professor at the LMU, in Munich, where he leads several clinical and translational research projects.

Professor Malfertheiner has been Chairman of the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) in 2004, president of several societies, including the UEGW (2006) and German Society of Gastroenterology (2011). He has received many international awards and in 2019 the lifetime achievement award of the UEG. He is the Editor of Digestive Diseases and serves as a member in Editorial Boards of several top-ranking international peer reviewed journals. His main research interests are Helicobacter pylori infection and other gastrointestinal diseases. His publications (indexed in Pubmed) exceed 1000 papers.

Even more meaningful is that Prof Malfertheiner is an old friend and colleague of Prof Marks. He has previously visited the GIT clinic in 1998, and delivered the Solly Marks Eponymous lecture at the SAGES congress that same year. His lecture on the 18^th August 2022 co-hosted by the DOM entitled “Helicobacter pylori infection and the gastrointestinal microbiome” was inspirational, quite simply a tour de force!

We spent four days at our annual SAGES congress in the Drakensberg with Prof Malfertheiner, and four days here in the unit. Unanimously we were all touched by his charisma, warmth, but also his invaluable insights, and infectious enthusiasm for the work we are doing. We are humbled by his generosity of spirit to help us with our work.

Mashiko Setshedi

Head of the Division of Gastroenterology UCT/GSH

26 Aug 2022