Dear WFITN members,
Professor Pål Atle Svendsen, a founding member of the WFITN, sadly left us June 13th this year. Pål Svendsen was a native of Norway but spent most of his professional life at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. He did part of his medical studies in Graz, Austria, and spent a two year post doc fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Pål Svensen was a true pioneer. In 1977 he did his PhD thesis on “Computed tomography in the diagnosis of traumatic intracranial lesions” and later engaged full time in interventional neuroradiology. He introduced INR in Sweden and built a very successful service in Gothenburg, first virtually alone, later together with his younger colleague Gunnar Wikholm, managing to form an independent INR unit at Sahlgrenska hospital.
Pål Svendsen was also interested in peripheral vascular malformations and was cofounder of the Vascular Lesion Society in Sweden.
After retirement his expertise was still urgently needed and he spent two years creating an INR unit at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen.
The WFITN presents its sincerest condolences to his family.