Everyone at Cochrane Australia was deeply saddened by the recent passing of our friend, generous colleague and agitator for better medical research, Professor Doug Altman. His contributions to Cochrane cannot be overstated.

Doug founded and convened the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group for 20 years, among many other activities and achievements. We are indebted to him for his contributions to reporting standards for medical research, which will have ongoing influence. 

Tributes to Doug can be found on the Cochrane Community website, on the Cochrane Methods tribute page, and in The BMJ's obituary: Douglas G Altman: statistician, researcher and driving force behind global initiatives to improve the reliability of health research.

Friends and colleagues are also invited to express condolences, recount memories and share photos on the University of Oxford Book of Memories.