On January 14, 2025, Professor Józef Małolepszy passed away. A wise, diligent, and highly respected individual has left us. A distinguished internist, allergy specialist, scientist, and teacher is gone. We, his colleagues, are incredibly fortunate to have learned from him—not just medicine, but much more. For 23 years, until his retirement, he was our “boss” and our mentor. He established one of the country’s leading allergology centers and brought together a team of outstanding specialists—allergologists, internal medicine specialists, biologists, and medical analysts.

Professor Małolepszy, born on March 16, 1933 in Gniew, made significant contributions to the research on asthma and allergy. He authored or coauthored over 400 scientific publications, as well as one of the first Polish monographs on these conditions—Allergic Diseases and Asthma (1996). He also wrote 10 chapters in several textbooks on asthma. The studies he initiated and participated in covered epidemiological, pathogenetic, and clinical aspects of these diseases.

A key research area for the Professor and his team was asthma—its epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and mechanisms of exacerbations. He was a coauthor of PMSEAD (the Polish Multicentre Study of Epidemiology of Allergic Diseases), conducted under the leadership of Professor Jerzy Liebhart, which focused on asthma epidemiology in Poland. This study provided valuable information on the prevalence of asthma in Poland and the risk factors associated with its development.¹

As early as the 1990s, Professor Małolepszy embarked on investigating immunological mechanisms in the pathogenesis of asthma and allergies, studying the activity of eosinophils, lymphocytes, and mast cells in allergic inflammation. An outcome of the research conducted by his team was identification of the immunomodulatory role of histamine in allergic diseases, which could exert its effects through receptors located on immune cells.^2,3

Professor Małolepszy was also interested in pituitary‑adrenal axis disorders and cortisol metabolism in individuals with asthma. Along with his colleagues, he demonstrated that alkaline phosphatase activity in granulocytes could serve as an indicator of adrenal cortex activity in asthma patients. A series of studies also documented cortisol metabolism disorders in patients with severe asthma undergoing corticosteroid treatment.

As a member of the international START (Steroid Treatment as Regular Therapy) Investigators Group, Professor Małolepszy was involved in studies on the impact of asthma exacerbations on the natural of the disease. Several studies conducted by this international group demonstrated that frequent exacerbations could lead to an accelerated decline in forced expiratory volume, with significant implications for the disease progression and treatment strategies. Another study published by this research group showed that early administration of budesonide improved asthma control and reduced the risk of exacerbations. Yet another publication confirmed the safety of treatment with high‑dose inhaled budesonide and formoterol.⁴

Professor Małolepszy had broad scientific interests extending far beyond the areas mentioned above. He inspired us to explore our own scientific and clinical paths. As a result, the department he led initiated research into drug hypersensitivity mechanisms, the use of the latest diagnostic methods, such as basophil activation tests, allergies to Hymenoptera venom, and the mechanisms of chronic urticaria.

He was recognized by numerous organizations: he served as President of the Polish Society of Internal Medicine (1998–2001) and President of the Polish Society of Allergology (1988–1994), and was an honorary member of scientific societies, including the Polish Society of Pulmonology, the Polish Society of Allergology, the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Internal Medicine, and the European Federation of Internal Medicine.

Additionally, he was the founder and first Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the Medical University of Wroclaw, Vice‑Rector for Clinical Affairs at the Medical University of Wroclaw, a member of the Senate for 3 terms, Chairman of the Senate Committees on Statutes, Healthcare, and Awards, a member of the Committee for Scientific Research, and Chairman of the Controlled Therapy Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Therapy and Drug Sciences.

He supervised 30 PhD dissertations and guided 60 physicians who obtained a level II specialty in internal medicine, as well as 50 allergologists who achieved a specialist status. He was also a member of the editorial boards of 6 medical journals.

Professor Małolepszy has left behind a rich scientific legacy, but above all—his students, whom he shaped. His memory will live on in our work, in future research, and in every patient who will receive better care thanks to his achievements.

Hail to his memory!