During the 2022 International Family Planning Conference held in Pattaya, Thailand, a memorial was held in honor of the late Professor Patrick Kayembe Kalambayi, one of the pioneers of family planning in the DRC. In the presence of global FP players, staff from Johns Hopkins and Tulane universities, donors, etc.

This was an opportunity to honor his memory by describing his goals and achievements, which largely contributed to laying the foundations of public health in the DRC. This tribute was delivered on behalf of the University of Kinshasa by Professor Pierre Akilimali.

A graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Kinshasa (1979), his career quickly turned towards public health in the mid-1980s, when he began to get involved in HIV/AIDS research. His first publications also date from the same period, including a pioneering article on HIV/AIDS in the DRC published in a major journal. in 1984 as co-author with Dr. Peter Piot, founder and honorary executive director of UN AIDS.

A graduate of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, where he successively obtained a master's degree and then a doctorate in public health in 1997, Professor Patrick Kayembe has led several major national studies in the DRC, such as the integrated seroprevalence and behavioral surveillance survey of populations at high risk of HIV/AIDS, the evaluation of health care service delivery, the global study on young adolescents, and is also an investigator of the Performance Monitoring for Action project on access to family planning (2013-2020).

Professor Patrick's commitment to the DRC was remarkable. He remained in the country during periods of considerable political and social unrest to connect the Kinshasa School of Public Health with major universities of international renown, and all of this he did to improve public health for the benefit of the citizens of the DRC.

Professor Patrick was also a dedicated professor and teacher at the Kinshasa School of Public Health, guiding and mentoring the next generation of public health professionals. Professor Patrick inspired us greatly with his steady leadership, dedication to public health, and intellect.

His loss is deeply felt by the public health community worldwide. May he find rest with his Creator.