In memoriam Dr Thongchai Chalermchaikit
It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the passing away on 26 March 2012 of Dr Thongchai Chalermchaikit, Director of the GFN Southeast Asia Regional Training Centre and pioneering member of the Global Foodborne Infections Network (GFN).
Thongchai was the gentle but extremely competent force behind the first training courses of GFN, and his significance and contribution to GFN cannot be overstated. Had it not been for the immediate success of these first training courses, which to a very large extent were thanks to Thongchai’s contribution and hard work, GFN would probably not have have had the courage to continue to develop the programme and concept to the level that it has reached today.
Under Thongchai’s leadership, the GFN training site at Chulalongkorn Univeristy in Bangkok, Thailand, became the first-ever GFN Regional Centre of Excellence.
Our thoughts and hearts go out to his family. We remain ever grateful for Thongchai’s contribution to our professional and personal lives.
The Global Foodborne Infections Network