In memoriam: Anders Ekbom (1947‒2024)

Abstract

On July 29, our long-time friend, colleague and Editor of the Journal of Internal Medicine (JIM) passed away at the age of 76 years, following a long struggle with cancer. Anders Ekbom was a committed and highly appreciated member of the JIM team for more than 19 years and continued his important work until his very last days. Although not unexpected, our loss of the joy of having him among us has left us with a feeling of profound grief, but the abundance of positive and inspiring memories collected over all the years will help us to carry on.

When first meeting Anders in person, it was easy to mistake him for a retired colonel of the British Army, and this first impression was strengthened by his keen interest in (particularly military) history. In fact, following secondary school, Anders had been trained as an officer in the Royal Swedish Engineering Corps. With his renaissance persona, he then studied various topics, including theology, law and economics at the University of Lund, before almost completing an education to work as a civil engineer. Fortunately, for our field of science, he switched to medical school at Lund and later Uppsala, receiving his MD title in 1978. He then embarked on a very successful career as a gastrointestinal surgeon, obtaining his board certification in 1984. Like several Swedish surgeons wanting to deepen their academic insights, he became interested in epidemiological research, and he defended his PhD thesis in 1990. In 1997, he moved to the Karolinska Institutet, where he rapidly established an excellent research group, being appointed as a full professor of epidemiology in 1999. Among his most important work during his long and highly productive career are numerous studies on colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease, stressing the role of hereditary factors, and the influence of inflammation in carcinogenesis, including its role in the development of lymphoma in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Much of this research has been translated to important clinical guidelines. From early on, he had a vast international network and served as adjunct professor of epidemiology at Harvard. His role in promoting the training of physician-scientists by creating and developing clinical research infrastructures in collaborations between university hospitals and medical faculties cannot be overestimated. He has fostered many senior clinical researchers, not least by keeping a positive attitude and stressing the concept that science is serious business but also must be a joyful experience.

Anders’ unique personality, his ability to continuously question concepts and ideas in a critical way, and his (somewhat unusual) capability to distinguish between opinions and their proposers—often by application of his great sense of humor—contributed greatly to his success. His abilities as a problem-solver and a promoter of teamwork have been of great use both to the Karolinska Institutet and the Karolinska University Hospital, where he served in many functions, including a period as Vice President during turbulent times. He has also held numerous positions on scientific boards and committees, including exploring ethical questions and fraudulent publications. Unique for a surgeon, he served as Head of the Department of Medicine at Karolinska Institutet for two terms.

It is no surprise that we were very happy when Anders joined JIM as an Editor in 2006. It has always been a pleasure to work with him, and we have all been impressed and inspired not only by his vast knowledge of all types of medical science, but also by his capacity to handle the sometimes-difficult decisions and discussions regarding priority making and selecting the truly best manuscripts. His wisdom, both on factual and personal levels, has been of great importance for the continued success of JIM. Considering his interest in history, we believe that he—like the Swedish king, Charles XIV John, once recruited to Stockholm from Napoleon's Paris—could summarize his life with “Nobody has filled a track like mine.”

On behalf of the Journal of Internal Medicine: Bo Angelin, Editor-in-Chief; Ulf Smith, Chairman of the Society for Publication of JIM; Jan Andersson, Karin Ekström Smedby, Laura Fratiglioni, Olle Melander, and Peter Stenvinkel, Editors; Per Dahlqvist, Hannes Hagström, and Maria Lerm, Adjunct Editors; Elin Cooper, Managing Editor; Nina Forsberg and Charlotte Wikholm, Assistant Editors; Ulf de Faire and Bengt Fagrell, former Editor-in-Chief and Deputy.

Photo credit: Ulf Sirborn