Remembering Almaz Aldashev: one of the founders of the PVRI

Almaz Aldashev passed away on June 18, 2016, at the age of 63 from a progressive lung disease. We have lost not only a colleague and friend with a critical mind, knowledge, and wit, but also an internationally acclaimed researcher in the field of high altitude medicine and biology. Almaz Aldashev came from an academic family who encouraged him since childhood to take the path of science. He was mainly influenced by his father, a professor of veterinary science who often took young Almaz on his scientific expeditions in his native Kyrgyzstan (now the Kyrgyz Republic). This cultivated and nurtured a love for his country, its culture, history, and people. He learned to read at a very early age, and his passion for books grew exponentially over the years. As a child, he enjoyed reading youth magazines about nature and science but equally enjoyed playing football. He excelled at school and his intellect, wisdom, and wit distinguished him from many of his peers. He was very communicative and had a great sense of humor which made him a focal point in any conversation, discussion, or debate. All these remained with him all his life. Almaz completed his graduate and postgraduate studies in Moscow, finishing two doctoral theses: one the structure of bacterial rhodopsin, and one on the receptors, intracellular signaling, and hypoxic proteins in high altitude pulmonary hypertension. Almaz published more than 90 papers and performed a series of landmark studies in the field of high altitude pulmonary vascular diseases studying the genetic diversity and the clinical manifestation of affected highlanders. He also studied epidemiology and genetic characteristics of drugresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis observed in Kyrgyzstan. Almaz was involved in the public life of his country. He was a frequent guest on radio and TV programs on public health. He actively supported scientific research in the Kyrgyz Republic. He believed that promoting scientific works plays a crucial role in the intellectual, cultural, and educational development of his fledgling country. He was elected to membership in the Kyrgyz National Academy of Sciences and later became its Vice President. Almaz was a true patriot. He helped make his country known in the global scientific community through various international collaborations which he initiated. Because of his reputation, Almaz was invited to be a member, then leader, of various international committees. Almaz was one of the first 25 founding fellows of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI) who met in Malta in January 2007. Almaz remained faithful to the PVRI, actively participating in all the annual meetings. He encouraged his colleagues in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia to establish the first excellent Centre for Pulmonary hypertension in Bishkek.