Most of us find writing a scientific manuscript challenging, but you will learn that writing a tribute to a dear friend and colleague that has passed is among the most difficult things to write. Let me begin by providing a short biographical sketch of Jeff that I am sure will not due justice to his illustrious career.
Joseph (Jeff) Vos was trained as a veterinarian at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands where he later received his Ph.D. working on the toxicology of polychlorinated biphenyl. After his Ph.D., he spent two years (1972–1973) at NIEHS working with Dr. Jack Moore on the effect of TCDD on the immune system of rodents. After returning to the Netherlands, he took a position at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) where he spend the remainder of his career in numerous positions including Head of the Laboratories of Pathology, Toxicology, Director of Immunology, Director Basic Health Research, and finally back to the position he loved most as Head of the Laboratory for Pathology and Immunobiology where he worked closely for many years with his colleagues including Hank van Loveren, Frieke Kuper, and others. His career was marked with numerous high quality publications (including a citation classic in 1990), book chapters, membership in national and international scientific societies, service on the editorial board of several journals, and membership on numerous advisory committees for WHO, OECD, ILSI, and several national Dutch committees. Jeff's early research on the toxicology of polychlorinated biphenyls and their impurities led to a focus area in toxicology and gave birth to the subspecialty of Immunotoxicology. Jeff was also a teacher and served until his death on the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University where he participated in training students, teaching and research.
I first became aware of Jeff's writings and work in 1977 when asked to organize a session on Immunotoxicology at the 1978 Drug Safety Gordon Research Conference. During the literature review at the National Library of Medicine, I came across a recent article in the CRC Press written by Jeff describing how toxic chemicals could injury the immune system. This was a seminal review in my mind, as it stimulated my interest in this new area (as well as many others) and made me aware that the work I was doing at the time on the effect of anti-cancer drugs on the immune system was indeed Immunotoxicology. In 1979, I had the opportunity to follow Jeff's path to NIEHS when Jack Moore invited me to come and, in association with Mike Luster, organize a section on Immunotoxicology and initiate an external contract program on Immunotoxicology Methods Development and Validation in support of the National Toxicology Program. Jeff's work at NIEHS several years earlier had impressed Drs. J. Moore and D. Ralls (the Institute Director) with the importance of the immune system as a target organ of toxic injury. It is clear that Jeff's short tenure at NIEHS gave birth to Immunotoxicology as we know it in the USA and lead to the support of this area by NIH and the training of numerous students over the last 35 years.
On a personal note, I was most impressed with Jeff's exuberance for life, his lovely family, his research, and his interest in protecting the environment and its wildlife from dangerous environmental contaminants. We spent time together at meetings during those early years where he introduced me and many of you to the importance of reviewing the histology of the lymphoid organs in any study of a chemical's effect.
Suellen and I had the pleasure of also knowing Jeff's wife Jannie and his two daughters for almost 28 years. Suellen and I visited in their home on several occasions and during one visit—after a few glasses of Dutch Gin—Jeff and his two daughters decided to try and teach me the correct pronunciation of the Dutch alphabet. I was a complete failure, but everyone had a wonderful laugh. I believe Jeff was one of the nicest individual and most rigorous scientists I have known. During every SOT meeting that we attended, we got together for lunch or dinner. Every visit started with a short discussion about our families; he shared what Jannie and his two daughters were doing, which more recently was a discussion about the arrival of grandchildren, before ultimately moving to research in Immunotoxicology
We will all miss Jeff and all who knew him will always be touched by his great personality, spirit for life, excitement about Immunotoxicology and contribution to this field of research.