We are sad to hear of the death of one of our editors, Dr Sam Gibbs. Dr Gibbs had been a consultant at The Great Western Hospital in Swindon for the last 10 years, and prior to that was a consultant in Ipswich. Fellow editor Prof Hywel Williams pays tribute:

“Sam Gibbs was one of our first and longest serving Cochrane Skin editors who also led one of the first reviews on interventions for cutaneous warts. That review did not find convincing evidence that cryotherapy was much better that topic salicylic acid, and as a result led to a gradual curtailment in the routine use of freezing warts with liquid nitrogen – at least in the UK. Sam’s editorial comments were always spot on. Besides being a good dermatologist and appreciator of the need for evidence to inform patient care, he was also one of the nicest people you could meet. Sam died of cancer. I was able to make contact with him before his death to say how much Cochrane Skin appreciated his contribution over the years.”

Dr Robert Chalmers also paid tribute through the British Association of Dermatologists, for whom he was a Regional Representative for the South West region from 2013-2016.

"I am very saddened to hear of the untimely death of Sam Gibbs, a good friend of mine and someone whom I greatly respected for his professional integrity and compassion. I am attaching a paper he wrote for the JAAD which I think serves as a fine memorial to a dedicated dermatologist and wonder whether this (or the link to it) might be circulated to the membership as a tribute to him. The quotation at the head of his paper has turned out to be sadly prescient (Ars longa, vita brevis. The life so short, the craft so long to learn)."