Colleagues remember Kerstin Albertsson-Wikland

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our dear friend, Kerstin Albertsson-Wikland, Mölndal, professor of pediatric growth research, who passed away after a period of illness. She leaves behind her son Joakim and his family, her daughter Johanna, and her brother Lars and his family in deep sorrow.

Kerstin grew up in Småland, with her mother Solveig, a nurse, and her father Sven, an agronomist with a deep interest in gardening, a passion Kerstin carried with her throughout life where her garden was her refuge for recovery along with her love of literature and classical music.

Kerstin began her research in physiology alongside her medical studies, becoming a licensed physician in 1975, PhD 1975 on growth hormone effects on protein synthesis and specializing in pediatrics in 1985. Already in 1981, she became an associate professor in physiology, followed by an associate professorship in pediatrics in 1985. In 1994, she was appointed professor of pediatric growth research at the University of Gothenburg.

Those of us who knew Kerstin have never met anyone as dedicated to research as she was, nor someone so committed to ensuring that children benefited from scientific advancements. Literally, until her last breath, she wanted to ensure that the research would continue.

Her research spanned a broad spectrum, from physiology with animal models to pediatric endocrinology and children's growth. To date, Kerstin has over 400 peer-reviewed scientific publications, with more manuscripts either on the way to or under review for publication. The impact of her research has been immense. Her work on growth hormone secretion has revolutionized treatment protocols for children globally. The methodology she developed for continuous hormone measurement was even used in the Apollo space missions. Kerstin's research interests were not confined to hormones. Through her ability to collaborate across disciplines, her research encompassed psychology, sociology, speech therapy, and several medical specialties, including genetics, where she played a leading role in developing national care programs, such as those for girls and women with Turner syndrome.

Her unique ability to follow individuals over time, longitudinally, provided new insights into how children grow. She was tasked by the National Board of Health and Welfare with creating growth references, which have now been used for millions of children in Sweden. She continued to advance this research, both updating the references and creating new tools to assess whether a child's growth is normal or abnormal, aiming to detect health issues early. The tools she developed, which include adjustments for biological maturity, parental height, and growth analysis during puberty, are also used in several other countries. In recent years, Kerstin focused on mathematical models of children's growth, with one goal being to develop decision support tools for early identification of abnormal growth. Her innovative approach also included health economics, psychosocial impact, and her last research project involved AI.

In the 1980s, Kerstin and her colleagues created an independent registry of patients treated with growth hormone, separate from the pharmaceutical industry, which has been of great importance for analyzing effects and potential side effects. Through Kerstin's tireless efforts, pediatric endocrine care at the clinic developed into its own section, with dedicated facilities for clinical work, laboratory, and research (Växthuset  - “The Growth House”). She recognized early on the importance of involving more professionals than just doctors in endocrine care. Well-trained endocrine nurses, together with paramedics, enhanced care and documentation, allowing clinical studies to be conducted more systematically.

Kerstin was a highly driven and committed person, involved in everything from study planning down to the details of scientific publications. As a PhD student, one could expect purposeful and tireless supervision, which usually led projects to their planned outcomes. Kerstin supervised 32 PhD students to completion, 15 of whom went on to become associate professors or full professors in five different countries.

To summarize Kerstin’s enormous legacy in a short text is impossible. In Washington in 2017, she received the Andrea Prader Award, the highest recognition in the world for pediatric endocrinology, for her leadership, clinical work, and research. She also got the City Award of Göteborg, which she also was very proud of.

Those of us who had the privilege of being part of Kerstin’s life have not only new knowledge to thank her for. Kerstin was also a very dear and loyal friend. Her absence is irreplaceable.

Stefan Aronson
Lars Gelander
Ann Hellström
Anton Holmgren
Agneta Holmäng
Berit Kriström
Dré Nierop
Aimon Niklasson
Aldina Pivodic
Gunnar Selstam
Carin Skogastierna
Diana Swolin Eide