Agneta Nordberg and Elisabeth Olsson receive the Grand Silver Medal 2016
The Grand Silver Medal 2016 from Karolinska Institutet is awarded to Agneta Nordberg and Elisabeth Olsson in special recognition of the outstanding contributions they have made to medical research and Karolinska Institutet.
Agneta Nordberg
Agneta Nordberg, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, has been awarded the Grand Silver Medal for her extraordinary efforts for patients with dementia. She has taken on the great challenges of Alzheimer’s research with tireless energy, contributing towards improved diagnosis and treatment opportunities for these patients.
She is a world leader within the field of early diagnosis of dementia, and studies processes in the brain with PET scans. She has won international recognition for this pioneering research, and PET imaging is now approaching clinical implementation. Professor Nordberg has published more than 450 scientific articles, and has received many awards over the years. She leads a successful research team, and has benefited KI greatly through her involvement as a member of several boards and foundations, among them the Nobel Assembly.
She is also a skilled clinician, focusing particularly on patients with early memory impairment. Here, she shows great commitment to her patients and is passionate about ensuring that they get the best possible diagnosis and treatment.
”I´m very honoured and happy to receive this award and the appreciation from Karolinska Institutet that comes with the medal! This spurs to keep on conducting intense, exciting and important research on Alzheimer's disease, which is a challenge since we do not yet have any effective cure”, says Agneta Nordberg.
Elisabeth Olsson
Elisabeth Olsson, Professor Emerita of Physiotherapy at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, has been awarded the Grand Silver Medal for her unparalleled efforts within research and education at Karolinska Institutet. She is regarded as a pioneer within physiotherapy. For eight years (1993-2001) she was Head of Department at the former Department of Physiotherapy at KI, and was subsequently Section Manager and Deputy Head of Department at the former Neurotec department (until 2005). During this period, she helped to develop the subject of physiotherapy, and the field underwent dramatic academic growth.
Professor Olsson implemented a three-year bachelor’s level programme and a one-year master’s programme in physiotherapy. She also created different conditions for research in the area and successfully established combined senior lectureships for physiotherapists together with Sweden's first professorship in physiotherapy. The number of physiotherapists with third-cycle education grew significantly, and the profession began to be engaged within central administrative functions at all levels. Professor Olsson has been involved not only in educational issues and on boards and programme committees, among others as representative of the teaching staff on the university board, but also as a representative of the university as an expert for many external inquiries and committees.
In recent years she has successfully resumed her own research within motion analysis now focusing on new training and evaluation techniques for the elderly, and this project will now continue following Professor Olsson’s retirement.
Additional prize winners
In addition to Agneta Nordberg and Elisabeth Olsson, Anders Ekbom, Ingemar Ernberg and Bengt Norrving are also awarded with The Grand Silver Medal 2016.
See further information on The Grand Silver Medal 2016 here.