Era el año 1987 cuando comencé mi Residencia de Pediatría en el Hospital Universitario La Paz (Madrid). Y mi primera rotación fue en Neonatología, en la conocida como Unidad de Transición Neonatal. Y ese fue mi primer contacto con “la 5ª” (como se le conocía entonces) durante seis meses, un servicio liderado en su jefatura por el Prof. José Quero, y con dos jefes de sección de la altura de los Dres. Félix Omeñaca y Jesús Pérez. Y fue allí mi primer contacto con el Dr. Quero, Pepe, como todos le conocíamos. Y ese contactó se prolongó durante 15 meses al final de mi formación, cuando elegí formarme específicamente como neonatólogo con este equipo. Y allí se fraguó una relación profesional con Pepe, un doctor amante del estudio, afectuoso en la relación, ponderado en las decisiones y amable en las palabras. Cualidades tan apreciables (y poco comunes) para un jefe de servicio y catedrático de Pediatría de aquellos tiempos, lo que convirtió nuestra relación en afecto y amistad. De hecho, mi traslado a la provincia de Alicante hace más de tres décadas se lo debo a él, cuando él me informó y recomendó sobre aquella nueva Unidad Neonatal que se abría en el recién estrenado Hospital Universitario de San Juan. Continuaron nuestros esporádicos contactos en los congresos científicos y siempre intentábamos vernos, comer juntos, preguntarnos por nuestra vida y nuestra familia. Y siempre iba aderezado por su permanente sonrisa. Lo que se dice, cultivar las relaciones personales que nos regala la vida. Se jubiló Pepe en el año 2013, tras tres décadas al frente de la Jefatura de Servicio de Neonatología en el Hospital Infantil La Paz (la primera UCIN de España por aquellos inicios), con un amplio bagaje clínico, docente (como Catedrático de Pediatría de la UAM) e investigador, un maestro de muchos de los neonatólogos que hoy lideran esta especialidad en nuestro país. En el mes de enero de este año recibimos la triste noticia de su fallecimiento, y con su partida recuerdo como válido ese pensamiento de que “no es más grande quien más ocupa, sino quien más vacío deja cuando se va”. Y durante este tiempo se han compartido distintos homenajes (In Memoriam) en diferentes revistas y por diferentes amigos que dejó, que fueron muchos, homenaje que merecen las personas que son importantes en nuestra vida. Quiero destacar el emotivo obituario de un amigo común, el Dr. Félix Omeñaca en Anales de Pediatría, el In Memoriam en la web de Fundación NeNe y en la revista Pediatric Research que os adjunto debajo, estas dos últimas lideradas por el Dr. Alfredo García-Alix.

1. INSIGHTS
IN MEMORIAM José Quero Jiménez, M.D., Ph.D. Full Professor of
pediatrics & neonatology
Alfredo García-Alix1,2
, Miguel Saenz de Pipaon 3,4 ✉
and Jesús Argente4,5,6,7
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc 2023
Pediatric Research; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02516-2
Dr. José Quero Jiménez passed away peacefully on 8 January 2023,
in Madrid, Spain, surrounded by his loved ones. He was a pioneer
and a driving force in modern neonatology, a man with an
unequaled vision and passion for the development of neonatal
medicine from a holistic perspective.
On behalf of the Neonatology Department of the Hospital Infantil
Universitario La Paz and the Department of Pediatrics of the
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and in the name of all the
Spanish neonatologists and pediatricians and those from around
the world that worked with and knew Dr. Quero, we would like to
express our sorrow for his passing, while highlighting his many
achievements as a person and professional.
José Quero was born on the 9th of August 1943, in Villanueva de
San Carlos, Ciudad Real, Spain. Son of a physician, he studied
medicine at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, after which
he completed a residency in at the Hospital Infantil “La Paz” in
Madrid (1968–1970). Upon finishing his training in pediatrics, he
did a fellowship in neonatology at the Children’s Hospital of
the University of Minneapolis in Minnesota, USA in 1970. Upon his
return to Spain, he became a member of the Neonatology
Department of the Hospital Infantil La Paz. In 1978 he obtained
his doctoral degree in Medicine and Surgery from the Universidad
Autónoma de Madrid, immediately followed by a postdoctoral
fellowship at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles,
CA, USA. In 1983 he became chief of the Department of
Neonatology at the Children´s Hospital “La Paz” in Madrid, where
he established the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) due to his
profound desire to improve the survival and quality of life of gravely
ill neonates, especially those that were born prematurely. With this
NICU, which offered the most up-to-date standards of care for the
period, Dr. Quero initiated, advanced, and promoted modern
neonatology care in Spain. Here, hundreds of neonatologists were
trained and they are now distributed throughout Spain and many
Latin American countries. His knowledge, enthusiasm, and guidance
in neonatal care during the daily clinical sessions and discussion of
the patients profoundly affected various generations of neonatol-
ogists. His tremendous dedication led to his election as president of
the Spanish Society of Neonatology from 1994 to 1998.
In addition to his immense commitment to the management of
the Neonatology Unit for 30 years (1982–2010), he had a clear
academic vocation. He became Associate Professor of Pediatrics in
1987 and Full Professor of Pediatrics in 1996 at the Faculty of
Medicine of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where he was
director of the department between 2003 and 2007.
His research centered on transitory hypothyroidism in the
premature newborn, nutrition in the extremely underweight
neonate, and respiratory assistance and pulmonary function of
the newborn. Another very productive area of investigation was
perinatal neurobiology and, thanks to his visionary capacity, the
field of neonatal neurology was established. His investigation
resulted in multiple publications in scientific journals, book
chapters and books. Amongst these, it is important to highlight
his book “Pathophysiological Bases of Neonatal Intensive Care”,
which he wrote as a sole author, a true gem due to his clear
understanding of neonatal physiology and disorders. He gave
many lectures in different countries and received numerous
international awards for his work. To clearly comprehend his
contributions, it is important to not only indicate his achieve-
ments, but also his personal characteristics that made him a
unique professional. He was able to convey to his staff his love for
learning, the passion and emotion for knowledge of neonatal
medicine, the importance and the contribution of the nursing staff
to obtain excellent care and the respect for the patients and
families. The door to his office was always open to all his
colleagues, especially the younger colleagues to whom he
dedicated special attention, enquiring about their activities in
research and any personal concerns. He was very open, friendly,
Received: 15 January 2023 Accepted: 23 January 2023
1
Nene Foundation, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. 2
Professor of Neonatology, Iberic American Society of Neonatology (SIBEN), Wellington, FL, USA. 3
La Paz University Hospital
Children Hospital, Neonatology, IdiPaz, Madrid, Spain. 4
Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Department of Pediatrics, Madrid, Spain. 5
Hospital Infantil Universitario Nino Jesus,
Department of Pediatrics & Endocrinology, Madrid, Spain. 6
Instituto de Investigación del Hospital de La Princesa, Madrid, Spain. 7
Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBER Fisiopatología
de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Madrid, Spain. ✉email: miguel.saenz@salud.madrid.org
www.nature.com/pr
1234567890();,:

2. and respectful. Upon entering in his office, one was overwhelmed
by the immense number of journal articles and books on his desk,
as well as on the floor, and one could immediately perceive how
busy he was with his clinical, teaching and research responsi-
bilities. However, he always had time to help, cheer one on and
to comment on the evolution of investigation and the situation
of Spain.
José Quero was an exceptional human being and was a model
of dedication, determination, and respect for the humanistic ideals
of the medical profession. His impact will persist not only because
of his individual achievements but also because of the many
doctors and other health professionals he mentored. We have
lost a teacher, an outstanding and inspirational physician, and a
friend. We will miss you, José. Thank you for your humanity, your
integrity, and your teachings, which we will never forget. Your
example will live on in hundreds of pediatricians and neonatol-
ogists around the world.
Alfredo García-Alix
Miguel A. Sáenz Pipaón
Jesús Argente
A. García-Alix et al.
2
Pediatric Research