It is with deep sadness and regret that we announce the passing of Peter Sjoblom Ph.D, Scientific Director & Unit Manager, NURTURE, University of Nottingham, UKon 9^th October 2012. We mourn the loss but celebrate his life, a life that touched so many. ..

In loving memories from colleagues:

Dr. Peter Sjöblom joined NURTURE (Nottingham University’s IVF unit) as the unit manager in 2008 and since then, he became not only an integral part of the IVF unit but personally my ‘elder brother’ away from home. He had immense experience in the field of ART before he came over to Nottingham. Peter was involved in the human IVF field since 1986, when he received his PhD from Uppsala University, Sweden. He has held various senior embryology and managerial positions in different university and private university-associated IVF clinics in both Sweden and Australia. He was also ESHRE Certified Senior Clinical Embryologist since 2008.

His quality management and people management skills have been extra-ordinary. He always wanted to keep the quality high in what ever he did and being a kind, humble and considerate of his colleagues and friends, he was quite popular and well liked. I was always impressed with his approach to life and especially with the courage that he showed when he was suffering with ailments knowing its poor prognosis during the last year of his life. It was a great privilege for me to have known him and work with him closely for a long period of time. He was always approachable and from time to time he had given me some very helpful advices to alleviate my personal and professional concerns for which I am so grateful to him.

My friend, Alex Varghese and I felt so happy and privileged when Peter agreed to co-edit a book titled “ a practical guide to setting up an IVF lab and running the unit” with us. It is so sad that he is not here with us to see the finished book, which is hoping to be published in December 2012. He worked so hard to make this book happen and was editing many chapters while in his hospital bed. I am sure he must have been ensuring not to leave any work to us. I feel so sad to say good-bye to Peter and my prayers are with his family during this difficult time.

Dr. K. Jayaprakasan, MD, MRCOG, PhD, University of Nottingham

I met Dr. Peter Sjöblom in 1998 when I was visiting at his laboratory at Huddinge Hospital in Stockholm where he was laboratory director.  I was preparing to start working on my PhD thesis at the department under the supervision of Professor Outi Hovatta, and I then started this work in the spring of 1999 at the same time as I was working as embryologist at the IVF-laboratory under Peter’s supervision. From the start, Peter made me feel very welcome at the laboratory and at the clinic. He helped me and my family when we were moving toStockholm fromReykjavik,Iceland, which is our country of origin. Peter was generous with his time and his knowledge, it was always easy to ask him for advice and help and he made a point of always being constructive and helpful. Peter supported me in every way during the start of my thesis work - I am always grateful to him for having made moving to Stockholm so pleasant. We were always welcome in his and Yvonne’s home.

Peter then moved toAustraliawith his family and spent some years there working and studying. During this time we had only sporadic contact.  I had the good fortune to work with Peter again in Stockholm at a private IVF-clinic a few years later until we again went separate ways.

Peter was extremely knowledgeable in assisted reproduction and contributed a great deal to the field. His experience in IVF since the 1980s was surpassed by few. He was author of a great number of scientific articles, book chapters and he also was editor for academic publications in the field. Peter was a humble and generous man and his first concern was always in placing the interest of colleagues, friends and family before his own. He gave freely of his life experience and knowledge, he was unique in his generosity and kindness.

I am deeply sad that Peter has passed away, my thoughts go to his family.  I am deeply sorry for their loss. We mourn a good man, a kind man, a true friend.

Julius Hreinsson, PhD, Uppsala University Hospital

Customer Reviews (4)

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Susan Corner   16 November 2012
Dr Peter Sjoblom
I work at NURTURE in the Admin team, and Peter joined NURTURE as the Unit Manager not long after I began working for the Unit. From the outset, it was very apparent that he was a genuine person with a genuine concern for others. He introduced us to his lovely wife and his daughter, and he was very obviously a family orientated man. It was a pleasure knowing such a gentle man, caring and above all encouraging with a lovely sense of humour. He was aware of my sister's illness with cancer, and often asked about her, even towards the end when he was very ill himself. Always a kind word for everyone, and it is a great loss to us his colleagues. I am privileged to have known Peter, and he will never be forgotten. He leaves a legacy, and his family must be very proud of that. God bless you Peter x

Shabana Sayed   31 October 2012
Senior Embryologist and IVF Lab Manager
It was great shock and sadness that I got to hear about Peter�s demise. Cannot really explain how I feel loosing my biggest mentor and supporter. Peter will be missed by all of us, his students. I was fortunate to have Peter as my guide and course coordinator for a short period of time while I was doing my MCE course in Monash in 2005. The influence he made on me and my fellow students was so tremendous that we all still kept in touch with him even after he left to join Stockholm. I was fortunate later to land my current job in Norway just for the simple fact that I wrote Peter�s name as my referee. My chief Jon Hausken always says he just noticed my CV among a hundred others he receives every year just because I had Peter as my referee.It just shows the respect and admiration everyone in Scandinavia had for Peter. I was later fortunate gain guidance from him when he was our Scientific adviser. His ever smiling face and his honesty and demeanor was nothing short of a gentleman�s. Peter encouraged all of his students including me and always had a kind word or two for everyone. Peter for me was the epitome of greatness, a calm soft spoken man who was so humble and kind and rare to find in this egoist world of embryologists and lab directors. He has shown all of us how to retain our humility and sense of justice in all the things we do, whether it is personal or professional. He will always be remembered by all those who had the privilege to be his students.His teachings and advices always cherished. His memory and the good times we had together will keep us encouraged to do good work.

Balachander   22 October 2012
Remembering Dr.PeterSjoblom
I met him when I was doing my Masters at Nottingham in 2010.He was kind and gentle person who always encoraged people and helped them on what ever they needed.May his soul rest in peace.

Emmanuel   19 October 2012

I never met him personally, but he was one of my role models. A real hero in his own making. It is a great loss to the IVF community. My heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family.