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Professor Ulrich Schaefer was one of the pioneers in the field of bone marrow transplantation in Europe. In 1970, he started his research career in the laboratory of Professor Dirk van Bekkum at the famous Radiobiological Institute of Rijswijk in the Netherlands. In 1975, he performed his first allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in Essen in Germany. He founded the department of bone marrow transplantation of the University Hospital Essen in 1988, which he built up to become one of the largest transplant centres in the world. Professor Schaefer made many fundamental contributions to research and had a worldwide reputation for original work in the field of blood stem cell transplantation. He won national and international medical awards in the field of haematology and was a member of several national and international advisory committees. He died on 18 August 2002. His gentle way of dealing with patients and all other people will remain unforgettable to anyone who had the opportunity to meet him.