Michel Safar died on January 28, 2024. He was 86 years old. Michel Safar was born in Algiers in 1937. He began his medical studies in early 50s in Paris, was an extern, a fellow, and then clinical head before graduating in nephrology and being appointed as associate professor in 1972. He was appointed professor of internal medicine in 1980, then professor of therapeutics in 1990. He was the Director of the Clinical Diagnosis Center of the Broussais Hospital (Paris) from 1980, and the Director of the Internal Medicine Department of the same hospital from 1989. In 2002, he moved to another major hospital of Paris, Hôtel-Dieu and became the Director of the Diagnosis Center of this hospital until his retirement. From 1991 to 1999, he was also director of the research unit u337 of the Inserm (National Institutes of Health and Medical Research).

Since the late 60s, Michel Safar was the specialist in arterial hemodynamics within the team of his mentor, Paul Milliez. Since the publication of his first scientific article in 1970,¹ arterial hemodynamics has been the main subject of his 1300 publications, which appeared in high-quality peer-reviewed journals in French and English.^2–4

Throughout Dr Safar’s career, he worked with multiple colleagues to define and implement innovative approaches to understand factors that regulate arterial pressure. He managed to have a global, holistic vision, ranging from physics and engineering to physiology and pharmacology, from fundamental sciences to clinical applications.^5–7 He juggled between the concepts of vascular impedance, arterial compliance, elastic modulus, and propagation of the pulsatile wave; he evaluated arterial stiffness and studied the determinants of the incident and the reflected pulse waves. Michel allowed us to better understand the impact of the systolic component of blood pressure, at a time when only diastolic pressure focused the attention of experts.⁸

Through tenacity, his work allowed him to hypothesize, before confirming in large clinical studies, that the pulsatile component of blood pressure, namely the pulse pressure, was the most closely parameter associated with the prognosis of hypertensive patients especially in the older ones.^9,10

The qualities of the man were just as exceptional as the qualities of the scientist. His secretary received, during the last weeks, dozens and dozens of messages, of sadness, pain, friendship but also poignant tributes to the man he was.

Here are a few of these messages:

I loved seeking his advice, as discreet as it was luminous, full of common sense and subtle intelligence. So many exceptional hours spent together.

His speeches combined rigor, elegance, and clarity.

I really liked Michel, a loyal and warm friend, always available during difficult times, including my personal worries.

Michel was for us a support and a faithful, unforgettable advisor, to my memory and to my heart.

The disappearance of Michel leaves us all a little orphaned.

His inimitable style will remain in our memories: elegance and conciseness, making people understand, kindness, humor, generosity.

Through his research work, Michel had created a real scientific dynamic, while being a fair and discreet man, rigorous, caring, and respected by all.

Michel very clearly guided my career and I still think of him very often.

A man of very high quality, the community of clinicians owes him a lot.

Michel Safar was much more than a leader. He was a guide, a model, a mentor for a very large number of physicians and researchers who spent from a few months to several years working with him. He had this positive and caring requirement that pulls you up. Michel Safar was a very hard worker and at the same time, he was very demanding regarding the quality of his team’s work and could hardly tolerate those who did not respect their commitments. He wanted the best for his team members; he had this ability, so rare, to guide without imposing, at each people’s pace to help them evolve as best as possible. Dr Safar was keen on history and arts, having been raised and educated in a cultivated and philosophical environment. He had a particular taste and talent for transmission. Many physicians and researchers from all over the world knocked on his door; he welcomed them all and did his best to find a place for everyone. Michel Safar had this generosity. He was committed to his colleagues, students, friends, and even sometimes to people he barely knew. His loyalty was unwavering. He has set up numerous collaborations with dozens of teams around the world. He was the founder and chairman of the Paris workshops on structure and function of large arteries (mainly known as the Safar’s workshops) from 1992 to 2020, involving every 2 years 100 of scientists and physicians throughout the world. He was at the origin of the Paris Vascular School.

We will miss Michel Safar terribly.

Our warm thoughts go to Anne, his wife and Marie-Claude, Hélène, and Pierre, his children.

Figure. Photograph of Michel Safar.

None.

Disclosures None.

For Sources of Funding and Disclosures, see page e50.

米歇尔·萨法尔于 2024 年 1 月 28 日去世，享年 86 岁。米歇尔·萨法尔 (Michel Safar) 1937 年出生于阿尔及尔。50 年代初，他在巴黎开始医学研究，曾是一名外科医生、研究员，然后担任临床主任，1972 年肾内科毕业并被任命为副教授。他被任命为内科教授1980年获得医学博士学位，1990年成为治疗学教授。1980年起担任巴黎Broussais医院临床诊断中心主任，1989年起担任该医院内科主任。2002年，他调任巴黎Broussais医院内科主任。前往巴黎另一家大型医院 Hôtel-Dieu 并担任该医院诊断中心主任直至退休。 1991年至1999年，他还担任Inserm（国立健康与医学研究所）u337研究单位的主任。

自 60 年代末以来，米歇尔·萨法尔 (Michel Safar) 一直是他的导师保罗·米利兹 (Paul Milliez) 团队中的动脉血流动力学专家。自 1970 年发表第一篇科学文章以来，^动脉血流动力学一直是他 1300 篇出版物的主题，这些出版物发表在法语和英语的高质量同行评审期刊上。^2–4

在萨法尔博士的整个职业生涯中，他与多名同事合作定义和实施创新方法来了解调节动脉压的因素。他成功地拥有全球性的整体视野，从物理和工程学到生理学和药理学，从基础科学到临床应用。^5-7他权衡了血管阻抗、动脉顺应性、弹性模量和脉动波传播的概念；他评估了动脉僵硬度并研究了事件和反射脉搏波的决定因素。米歇尔让我们更好地了解了血压收缩压的影响，而当时只有舒张压引起了专家的关注。⁸

凭借顽强的毅力，他的工作使他能够在大型临床研究中证实之前做出假设，即血压的脉动成分（即脉压）是与高血压患者（尤其是老年高血压患者）预后最密切相关的参数。^9,10

这个人的品质与科学家的品质一样出色。在过去的几周里，他的秘书收到了数十条信息，其中既有悲伤、痛苦、友谊，也有对他这个人的深切致敬。

以下是其中一些消息：

我喜欢寻求他的建议，他的建议既谨慎又明亮，充满常识和微妙的智慧。一起度过了许多非凡的时光。

他的演讲严谨、优雅、清晰。

我真的很喜欢米歇尔，他是一位忠诚而热情的朋友，在困难时期（包括我个人的忧虑）时，他总是可以帮助我。

在我的记忆和心里，米歇尔是我们的支持者和忠实的、令人难忘的顾问。

米歇尔的失踪让我们大家都成了孤儿。

他独特的风格将留在我们的记忆中：优雅、简洁、让人理解、善良、幽默、大方。

通过他的研究工作，米歇尔创造了真正的科学动力，同时也是一个公平、谨慎、严谨、关爱并受到所有人尊重的人。

米歇尔非常明确地指导了我的职业生涯，我仍然经常想起他。

作为一个素质非常高的人，临床医生界欠他很多。

米歇尔·萨法尔不仅仅是一位领导者。他是许多医生和研究人员的向导、榜样和导师，他们与他一起工作了几个月到几年。他有这种积极而关爱的要求，可以让你振作起来。米歇尔·萨法尔 (Michel Safar) 工作非常努力，同时，他对团队的工作质量要求很高，几乎无法容忍那些不遵守承诺的人。他希望他的团队成员得到最好的结果；他有这种罕见的能力，可以按照每个人的节奏进行指导，而不强加于人，帮助他们尽可能地发展。萨法尔博士在富有教养和哲学的环境中长大和接受教育，热衷于历史和艺术。他对于传播有着独特的品味和天赋。许多来自世界各地的医生和研究人员都来敲过他的门；他欢迎他们所有人，并尽力为每个人找到一个地方。米歇尔·萨法尔就有这种慷慨。他对同事、学生、朋友，有时甚至是他几乎不认识的人都很忠诚。他的忠诚毫不动摇。他与世界各地的数十个团队建立了众多合作关系。他是1992年至2020年巴黎大动脉结构和功能研讨会（主要称为萨法尔研讨会）的创始人和主席，每两年有来自世界各地的100名科学家和医生参与。他是巴黎血管学校的创始人。

我们会非常想念米歇尔·萨法尔。

我们向他的妻子安妮以及他的孩子玛丽-克洛德、海伦和皮埃尔表示热烈的思念。

数字。 米歇尔·萨法尔的照片。

没有任何。

披露无。

有关资金来源和披露信息，请参阅第 e50 页。