Anders Hakan Nyberg

Anders Håkan Nyberg, 1949-2023

Beloved father and physician Anders Håkan Nyberg passed away peacefully on March 14, 2023, surrounded by his family at his home in San Diego. He was 73 years old.

Anders was born on April 27, 1949, in Härnösand, Sweden, the second of three sons born to Håkan and Maj (née Walander) Nyberg. His childhood imbued in him a love of nature, from skiing and ice skating in the northern forests in winter, to catching flounder with his hands on his mother’s sun-dappled home island of Öland in the summer.

He received a B.S. in social sciences from Stockholm University and a medical degree from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, followed by a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden. He then earned a doctorate in clinical hepatology from Uppsala University in 1988 with his thesis describing research in the liver disease primary biliary cirrhosis. He also contributed to ground-breaking research in peptic ulcer disease, viral hepatitis, and non-alcoholic liver disease, among other gastrointestinal disorders.

More importantly, Uppsala was where he met his wife Lisa (née Clarke), an American medical student at the time. It was love at first endoscopy. Lisa and Anders married in Vallentuna, Sweden on November 30, 1984, followed by a second ceremony in Newport Beach, California, on December 29, 1984. Twin sons, a daughter, and a third son soon followed.

In 1992, the family moved to San Diego, California, where Anders completed postdoctoral research in immunological factors in celiac disease and a residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Anders began working at Kaiser Permanente in 1995, first in the Department of Continuing Care and Hospice and subsequently in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, where he participated in numerous research studies and clinical trials. Through this research, he was able to offer hundreds of patients early access to life-saving medications.

Anders cared for many patients before and after liver transplantation; there are many patients who are living to this day because of Anders guiding their care as they received a life-saving organ transplant. He was adored by his patients, and received the Elizabeth Schilling Award for compassionate care, the physician distinction merit award for excellence in care, the physician communication champion award, and the excellence in clinical research award five times. He was also an avid sportsman, and could often be spotted jogging in San Diego’s canyons, as well as fishing, cross-country and downhill skiing in Mammoth Lakes.

Most of all, Anders was devoted to his family. He cooked them marvelous Swedish dishes so effortlessly they seemed to appear by magic. Seafood was his specialty, especially salmon, as well as the most perfectly creamy potatoes, which he always lauded as nature’s most nutritious food—as long as you didn’t go heavy on the butter. His dry wit was legendary among his friends and family, a Scandinavian humor so subtle that sometimes only the glint in his eye gave it away.

Remaining to cherish Anders’ memory are his wife, Lisa Nyberg; children, Thomas, Eric, Linda, and Daniel Nyberg, and their respective partners/spouses Lubomira Bezakova, Alexandra Nyberg, Marc McCole, and Hanas Cheragwandi; grandchildren, Maximilian Nyberg, Fintan, Cian, and Lovisa McCole, and Saimey Nyberg; and brothers, Peter and Bengt Nyberg.

In lieu of flowers, please support Anders’ passion for promoting liver health and helping those with liver disease by donating in Anders’ memory to the Liver Coalition of San Diego.

A memorial service for Anders will be held at 10 am on April 15 at University City United Church, located at 2877 Governor Drive, San Diego, CA 92122. A celebration of life luncheon will follow at the Nyberg residence directly after the service.