I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of my mentor and one of the founders of craniofacial surgery, Professor Ian Thomas Jackson. He died peacefully at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, on Sunday, 2nd August 2020. Although I knew he was ill suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, his departure was really shocking. Ian T. Jackson was a great surgeon and an even better person. I first met him in person during the XXXVII Brazilian Congress of Plastic Surgery held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in November 2000. There, he delivered a true master class entitled “My own history of plastic surgery,” which resulted in a true inspiration to me as a senior resident finishing his training under Professor Ivo Pitanguy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [1]. Although I already knew his wonderful work, having the opportunity to meet him in person was a life-changing experience for me. A few years later, he chose me to work alongside him at the European Journal of Plastic Surgery, first as a Board Member, and later as an Editor-in-Chief, sharing the position with him. I am truly indebted to him. My youngest son is named Ian, after him. I also paid a tribute to him in the preface of my recently launched book on breast reconstruction [2].

Ian T. Jackson was born in Glasgow, UK, in 1934. He graduated from the University of Glasgow School of Medicine in 1959 and became a consultant plastic surgeon in 1968. Working at the world-renowned Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit in Glasgow, he became known for his innovative approaches and techniques in craniomaxillofacial surgery. In 1979, Ian T. Jackson moved to Rochester, MN, USA, where he was appointed Head of the Plastic Surgery Section at the Mayo Clinic (Fig. 1). He loved teaching, and there, he instituted both a Research Fellowship and Clinical Fellowship that attracted surgeons from all around the world. In 1985, he published the book Local Flaps in Head and Neck Reconstruction, which still remains a source of consultation for trainees and plastic surgeons [3]. In 1986, he became the Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Plastic Surgery, previously named Chirurgia Plastica [4]. During his entire career, he published over 400 articles in the most respected international surgical journals.

Fig. 1
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Ian T. Jackson when he was the Head of the Plastic Surgery Section at the Mayo Clinic

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He was well-known for pushing the boundaries of craniofacial surgery to better the lives of his patients. In 1989, he moved to Southfield, MI, USA, and founded the Craniofacial Institute at Providence Hospital, now renamed as the Ian Jackson Craniofacial & Cleft Palate Clinic, where their motto is “we do not just change a face, we change a life” (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2
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Founders of the Ian Jackson Craniofacial & Cleft Palate Clinic, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, Michigan. From left to right: Dr. Kenneth Shaheen, Dr. Daniel Pieper, Dr. Ian Jackson, and Dr. Jeffrey Topf

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Ian T. Jackson received numerous awards and accolades during his illustrious career, including the Sir Harold Gillies Gold Medal from the British Association of Plastic Surgeons, a medal from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and the Honorary Award from the American Association of Plastic Surgeons. He was an honorary member of seventeen foreign scientific societies.

In 2002, he was invited to my home country, Argentina, as the keynote speaker for the XXXII Argentine Congress of Plastic Surgery held in Mendoza. At that time, Argentina was in the middle of an economic, financial, and social turmoil. Being aware of the delicate situation, Ian T. Jackson decided to pay all his travelling expenses from his own pocket. The Argentine Society of Plastic Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery (SACPER) remained ever grateful for this act of generosity and kindness.

Ian T. Jackson was also deeply involved in international medical volunteer work and served as an Honorary Chairman of the Smile Train, an international charitable organization that provides free corrective cleft surgery for children in 87 countries, trains overseas surgeons in cranio-facial surgery, and provides hospital funding for the procedures [5]. At his specific request, there were no funeral services, and all money that would otherwise be spent on flowers should go to this charitable organization.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, daughters, Linda, Susan, and Sarah, sons, Andrew and David, son-in-law, Modathir Bougrine, daughter-in-law, Shelley Miller Jackson, and his three grandchildren, Max, Isabel, and Morag. He took enormous amounts of pride in his children and grandchildren, nurturing their passions with vigour. His legacy will live through them. We will all miss him. May his soul, Rest in Peace.