2024-10-21
Our colleague, friend and work husband, taken too soon
It is with great sadness that we notify that our dear colleague Jukka Lausmaa passed away on the evening of the 13th October. Jukka passed from bowel cancer, after diagnosis only in July 2024. Jukka was 65 years old.
Jukka was key in the growth and coordination of the Swedish ATMP ecosystem since the pivotal RISE ”Pilot Study of a Swedish Institute for Cell Therapy” project in 2016 (see our reportspage). Jukka was a ’get in and do it’ guy who used his extensive experiences from medical device development and coordination of large centres to apply to the ATMP area. This enabled him to take on important administrative roles where needed to ensure goals were reached. Jukka was essential to the writing of the CAMP and ATMP2030 applications, was director of CAMP and chair of the ATMP2030 core team, and also an important part of the VOG Cell network. Furthermore, he was pivotal to establishment of the CCRM Nordic hub, and the founding of Föreningen ATMP Sweden (fATMP Sweden) which will ensure survival of the ATMP Sweden communication platforms and national conference post-2024. Jukka acted both as fATMP secretary (2023) and treasurer (2024). Jukka ensured that talk was translated into action and performed not only necessary governance roles but encouraged innovative thinking.
Photo taken by Jukka’s friend Patrik Leonardsson
Jukka would often say ’I’m not a biologist, I’m a physicist’ indicating that he was not the expert in the room….but you won’t find another who not only had the expertise to understand the needs in this field but also the focus and drive to do the administrative, stakeholder engagement and coordination work needed to make it happen. Modest, lack of prestige, supportive can be used to describe Jukka. Even in the week before his death Jukka was making sure everything was in place to carry on in his absence. Collectively we will take forward what Jukka drove to establish, remembering the values that were behind his successes. We will miss Jukka dearly.
Jukka’s story is particularly heartbreaking when we are working collectively towards innovative treatment options for patients in need. To lose a colleague only 3 months after diagnosis and for there to have not been a single treatment option available to him was a tragic irony but illustrates the great need that we work towards. While our field is even today treating patients with lifesaving or curative medicine, there are so many illnesses for which treatments do not exist and cases, like Jukka’s, where patients are not eligible for existing treatments.
Jukka’s funeral will be on Friday 8th November at 13:30 at Sankt Olofs kapell, Kviberg. If you would like to attend the memorial service 15:00-17:00, please register this by the 3rd November in the link below.
Till minne av Jukka Lausmaa | Lavendla
You can also share your memories of Jukka on this page for his friends and family.
Jukka himself shares the very brief story of his cancer Tack för mig | Jukka Lausmaa. In his blog you will also learn more about his nature photography exploits, as well as on his Instagram.