Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus Deus Aderit.

“Du kannst Tränen vergießen,
Weil er gegangen ist.
Oder du kannst lächeln, weil er gelebt hat.
Du kannst die Augen schließen und beten,
dass er wiederkehrt.
Oder du kannst die Augen öffnen
Und all das sehen, was er hinterlassen hat.“

We lost a friend, colleague and mentor - the person who has helped shape what we are trying to do – to make health economics more relevant and more useful to real-world policy-makers: Our founding partner and managing director, Hans-Joachim (“Jochen”) Cramer passed away in his home on July 11, 2015, in Hofheim, Germany, at the age of 72, following a battle with cancer. He is survived by his beloved wife, Ulrike; two children, Claudia and Ricarda; four grandchildren, David, Jonathan, Marlene, and Sophie. Jochen was born on January 20, 1943, in Kassel, Germany, and spent most of his life in Wiesbaden and in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The great loss we feel, as friends and colleagues, shrinks into insignificance in comparison with the loss that must be felt by his wife, daughters, and close family. We only hope that they can take some consolation in realizing in what exceptionally high esteem and affection Jochen was held by so many professional colleagues and friends.

Wiesbaden, July 20, 2015

Hans-Joachim Hasemann-Trutzel, Michael Schlander, Oliver Schwarz, Erik Trott