It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Marcel Ruzicka. Marcel passed peacefully, surrounded by his wife and daughter, in his native country of the Czech Republic following a battle with cancer.
Marcel was born in the city of Hradec Králové. He was lovingly raised by Eliška Ruzickova and Miroslav Ruzicka in Prague and did much of his medical training there. In 1985, he received his medical degree from Charles University and specialist training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology through the Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education. Marcel went on to defend his PhD thesis, Renin-angiotensin system and volume overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy, in 1994 at both the University of Ottawa and the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine of The Czech Academy of Science.
While living in Ottawa, Marcel met the love of his life and soulmate, Leanne Bowden. With his heart set on staying in Canada, he began a Clinical Nephrology Fellowship in Toronto (1997 to 1998). A rising star in nephrology, Marcel was among the few selected to retrain for medical licensure in Canada—an opportunity he was especially grateful for, as it allowed him to remain close to Leanne, who had settled in Ottawa. He completed his Canadian training in Internal Medicine in 2001 and Nephrology in 2002. Just before writing his Royal College exam in Medicine, Marcel and Leanne welcomed their daughter, Emma, in April 2001.
In 2002, he joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, where he had a prolific academic career. Marcel published more than 120 papers and obtained extensive research funding. He received a promotion to Associate Professor in 2011 and Full Professor in 2022. He established a dedicated Renal Hypertension Program at the Ottawa Hospital, a first in Canada at the time. The program was eventually recognized as a ‘Comprehensive Hypertension Center’ by the American Society of Hypertension, the only non-US site with such designation. Marcel served on the Canadian Hypertension Education Program guidelines (now known as Hypertension Canada) as the renal/renovascular hypertension section Chair for over two decades. More importantly, he recognized and ignited a passion for hypertension among colleagues in Ottawa and nominated them to join the guideline development process and take on other hypertension leadership roles. In recognition of his contributions, he received the prestigious Senior Investigator Award from Hypertension Canada in 2021. But perhaps his fondest task was to get to know new residents and fellows and impart his special brand of advice about career advancement with some philosophy of life thrown in for good measure.
Marcel’s interests extended well beyond his medical career—one of his greatest joys was traveling and hiking with Leanne. Together, they explored scenic trails and breathtaking landscapes in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Switzerland, where Marcel found peace, inspiration, and happiness in these shared adventures. He was also a devoted father to Emma and shared in her success and her passion for alpine skiing. Marcel was an avid gardener with a particular fascination for cacti. He also enjoyed modern art, wine collecting, history, economics, finance, and politics. Music was also an important part of his life; he cherished moments spent listening to his favorite artists, with a taste that spanned from the psychedelic rock of Pink Floyd to the soulful jazz of Miles Davis.
Marcel will be long remembered for his ability to connect with others on a personal level, offer advice to anyone on various topics, give freely of himself, and live life to the fullest.
His passing is an enormous loss and leaves a gap that will be felt by all who knew him.