KI-Mayo Clinic: Better together for 30 years
Every year, hundreds of doctoral and postdoctoral trainees, as well as researchers, travel across the Atlantic for conferences, lectures – and fika. These gatherings take place at two prestigious institutions: Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. This year, the long-standing collaboration celebrates its 30th anniversary at KI. Some of the pioneering individuals who were involved from the beginning reflect on key factors behind its lasting success.
“The two institutions have a natural chemistry,” says Sree Nair, professor of medicine and Distinguished Investigator at Mayo Clinic.
He is one of the three scientists behind the entire idea, along with John Wahren and Olle Ljungqvist, both emeritus professors at Karolinska Institutet.
All three had discovered that they shared the same motivation: improving patient care, and deepening the understanding of how body metabolism is regulated.
A shared vision sparked collaboration
Dr. Sree Nair formed friendships with the Swedes during a visit to Karolinska Institutet in 1992, and those bonds deepened when Olle Ljungqvist traveled to the U.S. for his sabbatical in 1993–1994. As they prepared to go their separate ways, the idea of a more formal collaboration began to take shape.
“We shared a common interest and quickly realized that continuing to work together would benefit both of us and advance science,” says Dr. Nair via video link. “It turned out we became long-term collaborators, and we were incredibly productive for many years.”
That was 30 years ago, long before Teams or Zoom existed. So, how did they stay in touch and exchange ideas effectively back then?
The solution was to stay connected by meeting in person at annual conferences.
Conferences before the digital age
The first meeting took place in Stockholm in 1994, focusing on diabetes and metabolism. Their closest colleagues were invited, including Martin Schalling, now professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet.
Martin Schalling joined the collaboration through Olle Ljungqvist, and they hit off right away. But the first visit to Rochester wasn’t without its challenges – he got lost in the enormous U.S. hospital complex.
"I was completely lost, standing there looking bewildered, until an unfamiliar staff member came to my rescue," Schalling recalls. "It made such an impression on me. I thought, this is what I want to do – extend a helping hand. I think that kindness stayed with me."
By 1997–1998, the collaboration had grown to include around 50 to 60 researchers. Today, three decades later, approximately 2,000 researchers are involved in one way or another, according to Professor Schalling.
The partnership also expanded to encompass many more research fields. In addition to diabetes, KI and Mayo Clinic now have formal collaborations in areas like psychology, psychiatry, autoimmune diseases, nursing research, neurodegenerative diseases, regenerative medicine, and cancer.
Another early contributor to the collaboration was Harriet Wallberg, professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at KI and former president of KI (2004–2012). She became involved through John Wahren, who had been her mentor.
A collaboration legacy across the Atlantic
Professor Wallberg emphasizes that the success of the research collaboration hinged on both parties recognizing its significant advantages.
“Collaboration needs to be a win-win situation for both parties,” she explains. “John Wahren had a unique laboratory and specialized techniques for measuring metabolism. With a counterpart across the Atlantic, we had the potential to achieve remarkable things. Back then, Mayo Clinic was already ranked as one of the world's leading university hospitals,” says Harriet Wallberg.
Jim Maher, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Mayo Clinic, has been part of the collaboration since 2010. He admits that his initial motivation for joining were rather selfish.
“I learned that a lab at KI was using advanced technology that could greatly benefit our own research,” he says.
Professor Maher successfully arranged for one of his students conduct part of their doctoral research at KI.
“This concept – where doctoral and postdoctoral trainees become the very glue that holds the collaboration between KI and Mayo together – quickly became my passion,” he says. “I was invited onto the steering committee and worked diligently to create collaborative opportunities, such as courses, travel allowances and grants, specifically for doctoral students and postdocs.”
Turning point in the partnership
Martin Schalling, who had recently stepped into the role of academic coordinator for the KI-Mayo partnership, was a strong advocate for expanding collaboration opportunities on the Swedish side to accept extended collaboration opportunities. However, during the late 2000s, the collaboration faced a significant challenge.
“When I took over around 2010, the partnership was on the ropes. The initial enthusiasm had faded, and the energy had dissipated as people moved on,” he reflects.
Fortunately, interest in revitalizing the collaboration surged. Professor Schalling remembers how the motivation to elevate the partnership was reignited and the partnership was both extended and formalized.
In April 2011, Harriet Wallberg, then president of KI, visited Mayo Clinic, leading to discussions with its management. This culminated in a collaboration agreement signed at KI in December 2011, encompassing research, education, administration and innovation.
Professor Schalling emphasizes the uniqueness of the partnership:
“It’s special because it reflects the commitment of two sister organizations that have chosen to work together.”
Expanding research output
A 2016 analysis revealed the KI-Mayo collaboration has significantly boosted research output. In 2008, researchers from both institutions published just 21 scientific papers; by 2015, that number had skyrocketed to 107.
“The analysis shows that our joint publications double the impact factor, which is clear evidence that we’re stronger together,” says Professor Schalling.
So, what does collaboration look like today?
“The KI-Mayo partnership functions like a vibrant community, with its size and scope constantly evolving,” explains Jim Maher. “Currently, I’d estimate that there are about a dozen active collaborations at any given time. One particularly dynamic area is education sciences, where collaborations and networks thrive even between annual conferences.”
Beyond these ongoing projects, Maher notes that there are countless additional opportunities for collaboration.
“There are many colleagues who have met and built relationships but aren’t actively researching or publishing at the moment,” he adds.
The powers of passsionate collaborators
Today, researchers enjoy nearly limitless opportunities to collaborate with colleagues from institutions worldwide. Yet, amid this freedom of choice, the KI-Mayo partnership continues to grow stronger. What’s the secret to its success?
“To me, beyond the win-win effect, it’s the passionate individuals that truly hold this collaboration together,” says Professor Wallberg. “Without people who genuinely care about working together, such a partnership would crumble. Researchers like Sree Nair, John Wahren and Martin Schalling embody the enthusiasm that is essential. A university president or a hospital director can’t simply mandate this kind of collaboration.”
Harriet Wallberg emphasizes the importance of chemistry between doctoral students and researchers for collaboration to thrive.
“It’s crucial for management to facilitate opportunities for them to connect. Many international collaborations begin at conferences, often during informal coffee breaks.”
Professor Nair believes that mutual trust, honesty, and close relationships serve as the as the foundation of their partnership.
“I’ve had incredibly inspirational and fulfilling collaborations, and I’ve also formed lasting friendships. Some of my closest friends are in Sweden,” he shares.
Financing is another critical component , but it can be challenging to secure.
“It’s unrealistic to expect the KI-Mayo partnership to be self-sustaining,” warns Professor Maher. “It requires ongoing and generous institutional support.”
He stresses that successful collaborations must be cultivated from the bottom up.
“My vision is for doctoral students and postdocs to be the glue that binds the partnerships together,” he says. “The most effective collaborations are built from the bottom up, driven by individuals with shared interests that complement one another.”
Three KI researchers on working at Mayo Clinic
Karolinska Institutet and Mayo Clinic are partners in research, education, administration and innovation. Grants are available through the Collaborative Award programme to help cover the costs of travel and accommodation for these exchanges. Meet three researchers who have received financing.
Maximilian Tufvesson Alm: “A totally different access to patients”
Maximilian Tufvesson Alm graduated with a PhD in 2020 from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at KI and is currently spending his postdoc period in Ireland. His research is on a hormone produced in the gastrointestinal tract that affects mental health.
With funding from the 2018 Collaborative Award, he was able to spend three weeks at Mayo Clinic helping to analyse patient samples.
What has your time at Mayo meant to you?
“It was interesting to me as a preclinical researcher to see how they work at Mayo. They’re good at patient oriented research and have a lot of experience analysing patient samples and extracting valuable data. The research rooms are adjacent to the hospital, so you have access to patients in a totally different way than you do at home.”
What did you bring back with you?
“The collaboration – how important it is to be able to combine experiences in the interests of improving research. After all, Mayo is a world-class institution.”
Maren Maanja: “My time there was very scientifically rewarding”
Maren Maanja researches how artificial intelligence can be used to interpret ECG scans. She gained her PhD in 2020 at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at KI.
In 2022 and 2023 she received a Collaborative Award and spent 15 months at Mayo Clinic, where she studied the ability of AI to detect patients with the genetic heart disease hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
What has your time at Mayo meant to you?
“As a new PhD, my time at Mayo Clinic was very rewarding, not only scientifically, but also work-wise and collaboration-wise.”
What did you bring back with you?
“One of the things I’ve brought back from Mayo Clinic is their integrated infrastructure for research. It inspires me to optimise how we work back at home.”
Feride Eren: “I was reminded of how much I love to collaborate”
Feride Eren works as a bioinformaticist. She graduated with a PhD in 2024 at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at KI having spent six weeks in the autumn of the previous year in a Mayo Clinic laboratory, where she focused on integrating different Omics datasets from KI’s Schizophrenia project.
What has your time at Mayo meant to you?
“I was reminded of why I love collaborating. I’ve met so many wonderful people working on fascinating projects. This experience outside Sweden also definitely helped me to be more creative and to dream bigger. I was incredibly lucky to be at Mayo Clinic in Dr Doo-Sup Choi’s lab. They really made me feel at home.”
What did you bring back with you?
“The most important piece of advice I can give is to be open when meeting new people. Talk as much as you can. The KI-Mayo conference is one of the best opportunities there is to meet prospective collaboration partners and make lifelong friendships.”
Text: Maja Lundbäck