Dr Wiete Westerhof has passed away on July 3, 2024. He was a visionary Dermatologist affiliated with the Department of Dermatology at Amsterdam University, and a passionate pigmentation researcher. The ‘Westerhof syndrome’ presented by Wiete in 1978 describes a hereditary neurocutaneous syndrome different from TSC with hypo-and hypermelanotic lesions. Most of Wiete’s attention, however, was focused on the treatment of vitiligo, and he has been credited for promoting NB-UVB treatment for this condition. Wiete chaired the 1991 ESPCR meeting in Amsterdam. In 1994, he initiated the Dutch Institute for Pigmentary Disorders (SNIP, for short) located adjacent to the Amsterdam Medical Center that provides clinical services, eying new treatments for patients with diverse pigmentary disorders to this day. He remained its Director until his retirement in 2004.

I. Caroline Le Poole, whose PhD was co-mentored by Dr. Wiete Westerhof

13 July 2024