MD-PhD Per-Olof Järnberg

Per-Olof Järnberg MD-PhD was born in Södertälje Sweden, the only child of Frans Rudolf Järnberg and Anna Edit (Dahlqvist) Järnberg. Four years later the family moved to Stockholm.

Per's grandfather was a blacksmith. His father was an inventor and a mechanical engineer, educated by correspondence classes. Both had an impact on Per's curious mind. Per grew up, post WWII, with a close group of single child boys,

from the neighborhood. All became very accomplished in their professional lives.

Per was very interested in chemistry early in high school and was given the key to the chemistry lab so he could perform experiments before school and on weekends.

Initially he planned to become a pharmacist but missed the sign up for college and 6 months later enrolled in medical school at the Karolinska Institute in 1961. Many of his professors were Nobel laureates. He completed residencies in anesthesiology and critical care. In 1977 Per defended his PhD. His research focused on kidney function and circulation during surgery and the effects of anesthesia and diuretics. During this time, he married Marie-Louise Sandqvist, and 3 sons were born.

Per's career highlights at the Karolinska were serving as Director of the Intensive Care Unit and then as Clinical Director of the Department of Anesthesiology running the operating rooms. He continued his research on aspects of anesthesia and the kidney and served as a mentor adviser and opponent to PhD candidates.

In 1984 he spent a year and a half as an intensivist at Al Hada Hospital in Taif Saudi Arabia in charge of the Intensive Care Unit. Taif was the summer residence of the Saudi royal family and several princes including the then king's brother were

under Per's care. He was invited to be a visiting professor at OHSU in 1987. He and Joan were married that summer. What was to be a year at OHSU became a 30-year career there. Per was the first non-English speaking foreign trained

anesthesiologist in Oregon to qualify for an unrestricted license.

In 1994 Per and Joan welcomed their son Per-Michael Viking.

Per was the Interim Chair of the Dept of Anesthesiology at OHSU twice, for a year on each occasion, Director of Research for the Anesthesiology Dept. for several years, but most of his career at OHSU he was the Vice Chair for Clinical Anesthesia. He enjoyed a subspecialty in anesthesia for vascular patients, was in the OR several days a week and was responsible for the administrative tasks of running the dept. He published over 40 original research papers, wrote book chapters about anesthesia, the kidney, and surgery for vascular patients, research-based journal articles and reviewed textbooks. He was an invited lecturer in Japan, Italy, Sweden and the US. He presented his research at World Congresses of Anesthesia in Paris, France, Cape Town, South Africa, Toronto, Canada and Washington DC. Academic medicine and teaching residents were Per's passion. He took a lot of overnight call, spent a great deal of time in the Emergency Department and taught a generation of anesthesiologists.

Per retired from clinical medicine in 2013 as Professor Emeritus.

During his working career in America, he traveled often with his family and visited over 35 countries. Yearly trips to visit his sons in Sweden and relaxing in Maui were a pleasure.

Per was a voracious reader, medical journals, newspapers and books across a gamut of genres; from the diaries of Samuel Pepys, crime novels, Swedish classics, to science literature including The Cell. Röde Örm, about the Vikings' longboats,

was a favorite he reread many times.

Per worked at keeping fit and enjoyed running, later cycling and then the gym and long walks in Eastmoreland with his wife. His leisure interests included chess, he was on the junior team of Sweden in his teens, reading history, listening to jazz and classical music, attending the Portland Symphony series concerts for 35 years and subscribing to Portland Center Stage since it came to Portland in 1988.

Per-Olof Järnberg passed away August 18, 2025, after a prolonged battle with Dementia. Amidst his illness he was his polite, charming, amusing, bantering self. His face lighting up at seeing family and friends. We miss him and will remember him always.

Per is survived by his wife of 38 years, Joan Foley, his sons, Per- Magnus, Paer Fredrik and Per-Henrik, and their son Per-Michael. He is also survived by 5 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren all residing in the Stockholm area, his cousins Katarina Mendez and Lars Åkrans and friends/colleagues in Sweden and the US.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations to the Jarnberg Family and Gray Family ARCS Foundation Oregon Scholar Award Endowment:

donate.ohsufoundation.org/jarnberg

The award benefits outstanding MD/PhD students at OHSU.