Johan von Schreeb awarded the Forska!Sverige Honorary Award 2025
The director of the Centre for Health Crises, Johan von Schreeb, surgeon and professor of global disaster medicine at Karolinska Institutet is awarded the Forska!Sverige Honorary Award for his outstanding commitment to reducing suffering around the world and for his leading research in a field that is becoming increasingly relevant also in Sweden.
“I am extremely grateful and honored by this award! It is an honor to be able to make a difference in the disasters of our time. I think about the crucial decisions that must be made despite lacking everything, minutes there are like days here. It is a privilege to combine humanitarian work with research, and I am surprised by how relevant experiences from global disasters have become for Swedish crisis and disaster preparedness,” says Johan von Schreeb, professor at the Department of Global Public Health, KI.
Forska!Sverige annually selects a person or organization that has shown extraordinary dedication and contributed to strengthening research, development, and health. This year’s honorary award goes to Johan von Schreeb for his many years of work in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas, where he has combined medical fieldwork with research and education.
“With exceptional commitment, Johan von Schreeb has drawn attention to society’s need for preparedness in the face of health crises. With his unique combination of practical experience and research expertise, he has advanced our collective knowledge to better handle crises when they occur,” says Anna Nilsson Vindefjärd, secretary general of Forska!Sverige.
From fieldwork to research
At Karolinska Institutet, Johan von Schreeb leads the research group for Global Disaster Medicine as well as the Centre for Health Crises. Through these efforts, he contributes to strengthening both the university’s and society’s capacity to respond to health crises through research, education, and collaboration.
Over the past three decades, he has worked in disaster-stricken areas around the world. He is one of the founders of the Doctors Without Borders in Sweden and has collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) in both research and operational work. His missions include work during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, after the explosions in Beirut, following the 2023 earthquake in Türkiye, and in conflict zones such as Iraq and Ukraine.