Marie

I was born on a winter day in December 1956, and spent my first 17 years in Trollhättan, a small industrial town in the western part of Sweden. When my parents left Sweden for the United States in 1974, I moved to Uppsala to live with my older sister, who was a medical student there. In June that year my daughter was born. I decided to go for a university degree with a good chance of getting a job, and chose pharmacy.

A child growing up in the 60s, I was shaped and nurtured by the optimism and sense of societal improvement in Sweden at that time. I still enjoy the cultural expressions of the 1960s and 70s, particularly in fashion and music, but it is a source of pain that the world has not changed in the direction that I was hoping for in my youth. Having reached retirement age, I’m struggling with disillusionment over the escalating abuse of nature’s resources, and the blatant disrespect for human life and dignity which is rife in so many parts of our world.

I’ve seen so much both good and bad – in fact, my whole life is characterised by contradictions, by ups and downs. I’m normally full of energy, ready to change the world, but after intense periods of activity I often feel drained and disillusioned and just want to curl up in a corner for a while. I am both confident and shy, cool and emotional. I don’t think anyone would call me a happy-go-lucky person, but I have my witty moments and I have been seen dancing on a table (not quite like in one of my favourite films, Hair, but still). I am ambitious, thoughtful, intense and always want to do good, but often feel inadequate and insecure. Although I am proud of what I have achieved in my life, I have always felt uncomfortable promoting myself as a professional and a leader. I want to be seen as a person, not a role, and it’s what I stand for and what I do that counts, not the title on my business card.

Like Sherlock Holmes I am a keen observer of human behaviour and peculiarities, always trying to find out and understand why people act and think like they do. I am intellectually and physically agile, and, although I tend to procrastinate, particularly when faced with an assignment I’m not keen on, I am a determined, capable and efficient worker once I get going. I am curious and knowledgeable, a good scientist and a reasonable linguist. An introvert by nature, I prefer sincere and deep interactions with individuals rather than superficial contacts and jolly mass gatherings. I have strong views about many things, and I like debating with people who express differing opinions – so long as there is an underlying mutual respect and a wish to understand the other person’s view.

All my working life I have been interested in creative ideas and practical solutions that will improve health and wellbeing. My focus has been on patients taking medicines, and all the people involved in their care. I’ve particularly considered how to transform vast amounts of data to real and useful knowledge; how to ensure that new methodology is developed and deployed with the aim of benefiting humanity; and how to develop the way we think and communicate about benefits and harms of medical interventions. Although I’m no longer in charge of an expanding scientific organisation, these are questions I will continue to pursue, in a broader societal context.

I also want to read and write about topics that are not related to my professional background – now that I have more time for my many other interests; playing and listening to music, singing, cooking and enjoying good meals, walking, swimming, and maybe going to the cinema and concerts (as before covid!). I’m passionate about beautiful human-made things; works of art, clothes, jewellery, watches, pens (and fonts!). I enjoy wandering around cities and to have access to all the benefits of city life; but likewise, I have a need to immerse myself in nature, not necessarily going into the wilderness, but to be surrounded by trees, flowers, and wild animals – and silence and space to think and breathe. And where I can see the stars at night.