In Memoriam - Professor Brigit Toebes (1969–2026)

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Professor Brigit Toebes on 8 May 2026.

Professor Toebes was an exceptional scholar in the field of health law and human rights and a valued member of the NNHRR community. Throughout her distinguished academic career, she made pioneering contributions to the development of the right to health in international law. Her doctoral research, The Right to Health as a Human Right in International Law, laid an important foundation for subsequent scholarship on the right to health in international law. Furthermore, her research and engagement influenced public policy on issues such as access to medicines, public health, and the regulation of harmful products.

Professor Toebes was a leading academic and a committed advocate. She advised international bodies, contributed to national debates, and played an important role in advancing interdisciplinary approaches to health law. As founder of the Groningen Centre for Health Law and former Academic Director of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, she helped develop the field both in the Netherlands and internationally. In this sense, her work consistently emphasized that health is a universal human right and that legal frameworks must ensure meaningful protection in people’s everyday lives.

Beyond her academic achievements, Professor Toebes was an inspiring mentor and a generous colleague. She was always willing to support and encourage others, particularly younger scholars, and was deeply valued for her openness and collaborative spirit. Her enthusiasm for cooperation across disciplines brought together researchers and practitioners from different fields and enriched countless collaborations and initiatives.

Her contributions to the NNHRR included dedicated service on the Steering Committee and her continued engagement and support for the Network’s activities even after stepping down from that role. Professor Toebes was involved in the early development of the Human Rights Research Series, her dissertation being its very first volume and the dissertation of one of her recent PhD candidates being published as the 100th volume in the series.

On 20 April 2026, shortly before her passing, Professor Toebes presented her final publication for a broader audience, Dat maak ik zelf wel uit (“That’s for me to decide”), and was awarded a Royal Decoration as Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau. This award recognized her outstanding contributions to academia and society.

We will miss Brigit greatly and our thoughts are with her family in this difficult time.