Andreas Claesson has been awarded the Bengt Fridlund Research Prize for 2026
Every year, the Bengt Fridlund Prize is awarded to an individual who has made a significant scientific contribution in the field of cardiovascular medicine. This year’s recipient of the prize is Andreas Claesson, who works at the Department of Clinical Science and Education at Södersjukhuset.
The 27th Cardiovascular Spring Meeting was held on 22–24 April at the Kista Exhibition Centre in Stockholm. At the meeting, the Bengt Fridlund Scientific Award is presented annually by the Association of Healthcare Professionals in Cardiology (VIC). The Bengt Fridlund Prize is intended to encourage and recognise significant scientific contributions in the field of cardiology and was established by VIC in Bengt Fridlund’s name in recognition of his work in cardiovascular care and nursing over the years.
In 2026, Andreas Claesson, Associate Professor at KI SÖS, was awarded the Bengt Fridlund Prize for his work in developing and modernising pre-hospital care. He currently works as a paramedic, is a researcher at the Center for Resuscitation Science KI SÖS and is the programme coordinator for the specialist nursing programme in paramedicine at the department.
From the citation:
“Andreas Claesson is awarded the Bengt Fridlund Scientific Prize for his pioneering work in pre-hospital emergency care and research into improving survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest”. “Claesson is one of Sweden’s most influential advocates for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, whose scientific drive, clinical grounding and capacity for innovation have helped to save lives and strengthen the field of research”.
Warm congratulations!
About Bengt Fridlund
Bengt Fridlund is a pioneer in cardiological research. He was the first ambulance nurse to obtain a PhD (1990), has supervised around 70 PhD students and published over 450 scientific articles. Bengt became an associate professor in 1991 and a professor in 1999, and through his involvement with the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the scientific journal European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing was founded, with Fridlund as one of the editors. Read more about Bengt Fridlund’s award on the VIC website.