This academic year has started with very sad news. Prof. Alessandro Zuddas, a much respected and loved colleague, passed away unexpectedly on 9 July 2022. He was Professor of Child Neuropsychiatry at the University of Cagliari (Italy) in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, section of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Director of the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit at the “G. Brotzu” University Hospital (Cagliari), and Coordinator of the Resident Programme in Child Neuropsychiatry at University of Cagliari.

He had a deep knowledge of both basic and clinical neuroscience, having completed residences in neurology, pharmacology, and child neuropsychiatry, followed by training in basic neuroscience as a Fogarty Fellow at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS-NIH, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Bethesda MD, USA). His career focused on child psychiatry, mostly on neurodevelopmental disorders, especially attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), being principal investigator in multiple European Union-funded research projects, and on the forefront of research and advocacy for new psychopharmacological approaches to the treatment of children with mental disorders. He was a very active member of Italian and European scientific societies, serving on the boards of the Italian Society of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry (SINPIA) and the Italian Society of Neuropsychopharmacology (SINPF); he was appointed as expert in child neuropsychiatry and ADHD by the Italian Health Ministry; and was an active member of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), acting as Chair of the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychopharmacology Network and Coordinator of the School of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychopharmacology. He was also member of the Editorial Board of several journals, being co-Editor of European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry between 2005 and 2015.

Prof. Zuddas had been a reference in our field, advocating and contributing greatly to the advance and development of European child and adolescent psychiatry. He contributed his wisdom to countless endeavors, showing also a true teaching vocation, and being a role model and supporter of younger generations of child psychiatrists. This was the case not only in Italy, but also across all Europe through the ECNP School of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychopharmacology, which he promoted and advanced over the years with exceptional leadership to turn it into an outstanding learning opportunity for a large number of young psychiatrists.

In addition to all his academic and research accomplishments, Alessandro’s unique contribution to the field had to do with the exceptional person he was, his elegant leadership, his disposition to problem-solving, and his ability to create a productive and pleasant environment. He has been enthusiastic, charismatic and passionate, kind and honest, as well as a wise and charming person. We must be thankful to have had the opportunity to know him as a colleague and as the great, unique, and irreplaceable person he was. He was truly one of a kind and is going to be deeply missed.