On Sunday, February 9, Aart Hendriks passed away due to a brain hemorrhage. Aart was a professor of health law at Leiden University and a judge in Rotterdam. We have lost in him a gifted health lawyer and legal scholar, as well as a charming, warm, and deeply engaged colleague.

His sudden passing is a great loss to the field of health law. Aart was versatile. He worked not only in administrative law, civil law, criminal law, and medical disciplinary law, but also in European and international law. His publication list boasts more than 1,500 works. He often published with others and took younger colleagues under his wing.

Aart had a passion for the rights of vulnerable groups and individuals in society. He showed this clearly in his inaugural speech in 2005 at Leiden University, where he had been appointed as a professor of health law in 2004. In his address, he advocates for a less individualistic view of humanity in health law and calls for greater attention to human dignity when formulating policies and legislation regarding the care of individuals.

Aart also operated effortlessly at the international level. Among many other international publications, he was involved in two editions of Health and Human Rights (Intersentia, 2012 and 2022), which he co-edited with Brigit Toebes, Mette Hartlev, Henriette Sinding Aasen, Janne Rothmar Herrmann and Katharina O Cathaoir. His chapter on the Council of Europe reflects his phenomenal knowledge of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. Two international publications are still forthcoming: “The Right to Health: Shifting Priorities from Healthcare to Prevention”, with Brigit Toebes for the Research Handbook on Human Rights Law and Health (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025) and “Withdrawal of Treatment” in Children’s Rights in Biomedicine (Brill).

Aart was an inspiring teacher in Leiden and beyond. We are grateful for Aart’s contributions to the summer school of the Groningen Center for Health Law (GCHL), and as an associated member of the GCHL.

Aart also took several PhD candidates under his wing. His PhD candidates speak highly of him as a supervisor. Elisavet Athanasia Alexiadou (Leiden University) writes: “Aart was a remarkable person and an amazing teacher. He was not just my PhD supervisor, he was my mentor. He shaped my thinking in health and human rights law.” And according to Natalie Abrokwa (University of Groningen), “his unwavering guidance and wisdom shaped my doctoral journey and inspired my academic growth. His dedication, patience, and profound knowledge left an indelible mark, not only on my research but also on my personal and professional development. Though he is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in the countless students he mentored and the knowledge he so generously shared.”

Such a special person: kind and intelligent, sometimes sharp and critical, but always involved and warm.

Voices in the Field – Aart Hendriks