To call Gabor my friend is an honor, to call him my Gabor my mentor is a privilege and to call him just Gabor of beyond any words that describe our closeness. His concern of me are my stroke and his kindness for allowing me to bear all the responsibilities of handling the character workshops at the Racz conferences in Budapest was the highest honor of my life. Even more so than directing the cadaver workshops at ASA and ASRA and CCF.

I can never forget the first time he asked me to just call him Gabor and that he wanted me to take the FIPP exam so that he can make me an examiner. His words and voice are etched in my brain’s hard drive and only Alzheimer’s or the final moments on this earth will be able to erase it.
To say I will miss him can only describe 1% of what I feel. So long dear friend….

– Vikram Patel, MD
USA

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Dr.
Gábor Rácz, one of the most influential figures in the history of pain medicine worldwide.
Dr. Rácz was not only a pioneer in interventional pain treatment, but also a tireless educator who trained generations of physicians across the globe. His legacy lives on in every technique he developed, every life he helped relieve, and every medical professional he inspired with excellence, ethics, and compassion.

In Mexico, we had the great honor of receiving his knowledge and vision through RACZ Lab México, where he helped lead the education of advanced techniques that today are a benchmark in pain management. His presence forever changed our medical community.
We join in mourning with his family, to whom we extend our heartfelt condolences and full solidarity during this difficult time. May they find comfort in knowing the extraordinary impact Dr. Rácz had on medicine-and in the hearts of so many patients and colleagues.
Rest in peace, Dr. Rácz. Your legacy will live on forever.

– Ale Ismael Gonzalez, MD
Mexico

Will be following the path you teach us, show us and you will never be forgotten.

– Mert Akbas, MD
Turkey

A passionate teacher who pushed us all to be better. He will be missed.

– Jeffrey Petersohn, MD
USA

It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Dr. Gabor Racz, one of the great Pioneers and Masters in the field of Pain Management. Dr. Racz was not only a remarkable physician but also a dedicated educator who inspired countless colleagues, residents and fellows around the world. His contributions to the advancement of pain treatment have left an indelible mark on the medical community.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched.

Dr. Racz’s legacy of compassion, innovation, and commitment to education will continue to guide and inspire us for years to come. He will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.

– Javier de Andres Ares, MD
Spain

Very saddened to learn passing of our mentor, educator teacher, and Founding Father of WIP Dr. Gabor Racz. I’m struggling to find words to pay my tribute to Dr. Racz. So many memories, so many courses together, so many accolades, so many celebrations. He was an institution himself. As one of the founding fathers of WIP, he touched countless lives across the globe. World has lost a giant in pain medicine, but I have lost a friend. He was kind and loving to my family. For more than 2 decades, he was my inspiration and an unconditional supporter. We will miss him. I will miss him. But now is time to celebrate his life. The best tribute is to continue his mission of education across the globe. Rest in Peace my friend.

– Sudir Diwan, MD
USA

For the past 25 years I have had the honor of being educated by one of the great innovators and Interventional Pain Leaders in the world. I would contact him and be able to call him on the phone. He would generously discuss endlessly important things about the topic I was enquiring about. Here I was just a private practice pain MD, and he took time to educate me!
I always tried to attend his Racz Pain courses in Texas.

I will always honor and respect this man, this leader in interventional pain management. The specialty owes him an incredible debt of gratitude for his teaching and educational contribution over DECADES!

He will be sorely missed. God Bless Dr Racz!!!!

– Lee Erlendson, MD
USA

The sadness I feel for the departure of Dr. Gabor Racz right now is only matched by the passion which he dedicated himself to sharing his knowledge and guiding each of us who had the opportunity to be his students. In addition to his incredible experience, he always sought every opportunity to share his personal experiences with words that were impossible not to listen with the maximum attention. In every fragment, there was more wisdom than in entire book, and yet he remained a humble human being who, when asked for a photograph, always said: ‘I insist.’ He leaves us with a great void and a vision that we must honor and continue for all of us involved in pain management. I will always remember him with affection, fondness, and admiration. Until forever, Dr. Gabor Racz.

– Jose Reyes Guzman, MD
Mexico

It was an honor to watch you add to this very necessary field of medicine

– Ihab J Ibrahim, MD
USA

I met Dr Racz in Dallas 2 years ago, it was a before and after learning his technique, and having the opportunity to listen to him, later in Budapest 2024, it was an honor attending to his opening lecture, he was always cheerful and inspirational, indeed his light will keep showing us the way.

– Alex Caamaño, FIPP-CIPS
MX

I am speechless although I knew this day would come, and as I approach 70 I know my time on this planet will come as well. Without Dr. Racz or Dr. Menno Sluijter, I and many others would not have been able to do what we do now. I want to take this opportunity to extend my condolences to his family. I’m on my way to do a procedure that he trained me in and deal with the realities of the rest of the day, but I wanted to at least post these pictures From a course that I attended on the Stimwave SCS system in Baltimore February 2015, where he took me through a retrograde placement of a epidural lead. I believe the first time I met him was at a workshop in South Carolina in 1998 where he demonstrated the use of the Racz catheter, which is we all know unfortunately is hardly covered by even Medicare.

I am gonna close with just saying that due to a variety of reasons, I never gotten a chance to attend one of the workshops in Budapest. At one point of my life, I did travel there when Hungary was part of the Iron Curtain and I learned several thousand words of Hungarian. I am sure your examples and dedication will be long remembered.

Viszlát Gabor nagyon fogsz hiányozni (Goodbye we will miss you dearly)

– Kenneth Zahl MD
USA

Very saddened to hear of Dr. Racz’s passing. He was a great human, teacher and mentor to me, having completed a fellowship in pain management with him which then led to a successful career for me. My deepest sympathies to his family. Rest in peace Dr. Racz.

– Malik Momin MD
USA

Gabor, Thank you for being my mentor and friend

– Mike Skaliy MD
USA

I share my sorrow with his friends and family, I was able to meet him in person and learn from very person and mentorship in his last visit to Mexico in the Racz Lab, I remember him as someone who was committed to share his knowledge and experiences and in his own words, the knowledge most be to and for every body who wants to learn and help other.

– Paul Axel Tellez Reyes MD
Mexico

For the past 25 years I have had the honor of being educated by one of the great innovators and Interventional Pain Leaders in the world. I would contact him and be able to call him on the phone. He would generously discuss endlessly important things about the topic I was enquiring about. Here I was just a private practice pain MD, and he took time to educate me!

I always tried to attend his Racz Pain courses in Texas.

I will always honor and respect this man, this leader in interventional pain management. The specialty owes him an incredible debt of gratitude for his teaching and educational contribution over DECADES!

He will be sorely missed.

God Bless Dr Racz!!!!

– Lee W. Erlendson, MD DABIPP, FIPP
USA

Tribute to Professor Emeritus Dr. Gabor B. Racz
In Memory of a Healer, Teacher, and Friend

More than two decades ago, I was a middle-aged new business owner eager to learn and introduce the concepts of interventional pain into my territory when I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Gabor B. Racz for the first time. At that time, I was a stranger—yet Dr. Racz welcomed me into his clinic with extraordinary kindness and generosity. He treated me like a friend from the start, offering not only his vast knowledge but also his warmth and compassion. From that very first meeting, I witnessed the brilliance of his work and the profound relief he brought to his patients—a gift he gave selflessly, always with humility and grace.

In 2006, we began a journey to bring Dr. Racz’s groundbreaking work in interventional pain management to Asia. Over the next 20 years, his name became synonymous with “Epidural Lysis of Adhesions” a.k.a “The Racz Procedure”, and his contributions to the field are monumental. His clinical expertise and ability to teach with patience, clarity, and generosity shaped the careers of many physicians and clinicians in the region. But more than his professional brilliance, Dr. Racz’s greatest gift was his ability to teach with both intellect and heart.

What truly set Dr. Racz apart was not only his extraordinary achievements but the warmth and humility he carried in everything he did. He was a man who, despite his global recognition, always made time for others—whether it was a student, a colleague, or a patient. His kindness extended beyond his own work and was mirrored by his entire family, who welcomed me with the same grace and support. The Racz family, in every way, embodied the same values of gentleness, generosity, and love that Dr. Racz so clearly held dear.

Most of all, Dr. Racz was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. His devotion to his family was clear in everything he did, and he was always proud to speak about them. His family was his greatest joy, and it was evident that their love for one another was the foundation of his life. His legacy as a clinician and mentor is profound, but equally enduring is the legacy of love he shared with his family.

I would also like to take this moment to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Racz’s son, Gabor Racz Jr., President of Epimed International. Gabor Jr.’s support, leadership, and dedication to continuing his father’s legacy are a testament to the values Dr. Racz instilled in his family. The Racz family has been an incredible source of strength, and I am deeply thankful for all the support they have extended, both personally and professionally, over the years.

While we mourn the passing of Dr. Gabor B. Racz, we also celebrate the enduring legacy he leaves behind. My thoughts and deepest condolences are with the Racz family during this difficult time. Dr. Racz’s contributions to the world, his unshakable kindness, and the love he shared with his family and friends will forever remain in our hearts.

Thank you, Dr. Gabor B. Racz, for everything you have done—for the lives you healed, the wisdom you shared, and the kindness you showed to all. You will be deeply missed, but your influence will continue to shape the world for many years to come.
And thank you to the Racz family, especially Gabor Racz Jr., for continuing to honor his remarkable legacy.

– David Tan
USA

In tiefem Gedenken an Prof. Dr. Gabor Racz

Mit großer Trauer nehme ich Abschied von einem außergewöhnlichen Menschen, Mentor und Wegbereiter – Prof. Dr. Gabor Racz.

Unsere Wege kreuzten sich vor knapp 30 Jahren, als ich durch Zufall von dem von ihm entwickelten minimal-invasivem Verfahren der Wirbelsäulenkathetertherapie – einen Meilenstein in der interventionellen Schmerztherapie – erfuhr.

Ich war von dem Gedanken Bandscheibenvorfälle oder Narbengewebe nach Wirbelsäulenoperationen ohne offene Operation zu behandeln sofort begeistert und war im selben Jahr noch bei seinem Workshop und Kongress im September in Budapest als einer der ersten deutschen Wirbelsäulenspezialisten auf der Teilnehmerliste. Schon sehr bald danach konnte ich diese geniale minimal-invasive Behandlung bei meinem ersten Patienten in München anwenden. Diese Begegnung mit Gabor Racz sollte in den folgenden Jahren noch sehr prägend für mich werden.

Vertieft wurde dies durch einen gemeinsamen Wirbelsäulenkongress im Jahre 2001 in der Uniklinik München, durch Workshops in Budapest sowie die gemeinsame Teilnahme an den World Institute of Pain Kongressen in Italien und New York – Erfahrungen, die mein berufliches Wirken nachhaltig beeinflusst und entscheidend mit geformt haben.
Ich bin inspiriert von seinem Wissen, seiner Vision und seinem unermüdlichen Engagement für das Wohl der Patienten.

Es war mir eine große Ehre, all die Jahre mit Ihm zusammenarbeiten zu dürfen, zu lernen und diesen Weg der innovativen, minimal-invasiven Schmerztherapie gemeinsam zu gehen. Seine Expertise, seine Menschlichkeit und seine Hingabe werden uns für immer in Erinnerung bleiben.

In tiefer Dankbarkeit und stillem Gedenken,
Dr. med. Reinhard Schneiderhan, München, Deutschland

– Reinhard Schneiderhan MD
Germany