Nicola Orsini and Karin Garming Legert awarded KI´s Pedagogical Prize 2026

The prize is awarded annually to individual teachers, teaching teams or administrative staff who have made significant educational contributions, including educational development or renewal work within KI's programs at the undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral levels. 

With more than twenty years of involvement, Nicola Orsini at the Department of global public health, has made decisive and sustained contributions to the development of biostatistics education at doctoral and advanced levels at Karolinska Institutet. Through pedagogical innovation, clear academic leadership, and a strong student focus, he has created learning environments that promote scientific thinking, critical analysis, and an in-depth understanding of statistical uncertainty.

A particularly significant contribution is the development of the simulation-based teaching model DICE, which actively engages students in study design, data analysis, and interpretation. His work is characterised by systematic educational development, strong collaboration with doctoral students and colleagues, and wide dissemination of pedagogical results both nationally and internationally. Altogether, Nicola Orsini has had a major and lasting impact on the quality and renewal of biostatistics education at Karolinska Institutet.

What does this prize mean to you, Nicola Orsini? 
"I am very happy to receive this prize because it recognizes the importance of teaching a challenging subject such as biostatistics, which plays a central role in medical research. I believe that statistical reasoning takes time to develop, and that the way this subject is taught shapes how it is later used and interpreted in practice. This award encourages me to continue exploring educational approaches that can have a lasting impact on future generations of students."

What occupies you right now?
"I am currently interested in which learning activities can facilitate the development of statistical reasoning and understanding of core statistical concepts. As practice and technical execution become increasingly easy through AI, I believe education must focus even more on why we use statistical methods and how they align with the broader logic of scientific investigation."

For more than three decades, Karin Garming Legert, at the Department of dental medicine, has demonstrated a very high level of pedagogical expertise and provided strong and sustained educational leadership within dentistry. She has played a decisive role in establishing oral medicine and clinical oral pathology as a major subject and has led extensive curriculum development characterised by clear constructive alignment, outcomes-based assessment, and student-centred learning approaches.

Through the introduction of formative assessment methods, e-portfolios, digital teaching formats, and renewed curricula, she has contributed to sustainable educational structures that persist independently of individuals. In her roles as Programme Director, Head of Undergraduate Education, and Chair of the Education Board, she has had a profound impact on the organisation and quality of education. Her work is characterised by strong national collaboration with regions, authorities, and the profession, ensuring the high relevance of the programmes for both the profession and society at large.

What does this prize mean to you, Karin Garming Legert? 
"I feel very honored and grateful to receive KI's pedagogical prize 2026. I see it as a great recognition that my commitment to teaching is valued. The award also serves as an important reminder of the opportunity to further develop both teaching activities and pedagogical working methods. It therefore inspires me to continue working for a learning environment that is both stimulating and inclusive for everyone. Not to forget, the award is a result of an environment where we develop teaching together. I would therefore like to extend a warm thank you to my colleagues, those who nominated me and the management at DentMed for all their support. A special thank you to the students, whose commitment and willingness to learn form the basis of all pedagogical work."

What occupies you right now?
"As departmental director of education (GUA) at DentMed, I am currently focusing on planning, together with the management, for the supply of skills within our education programmes. This work includes mapping the skills we have and what we need in the future. I am also involved in the fourth round of KI's internal quality evaluation, an interesting, educational and important work. Furthermore, I am currently working on an expert assignment for a senior lecturer at Umeå University. The students in the dental programme have just taken a course for which I am the course manager, which involves correcting a large number of essay questions. At the same time, the dental programme is currently carrying out its alternative selection (Tapil). In addition to being vice-chair of the Tapil committee, I am currently reading the applicants' essays and the interviews will begin at the end of May. I am also writing for two national care programmes together with the Stockholm region and planning for doctoral recruitment, which I have been able to do through KI's investment in enriching connections. Occasionally, I also try to work clinically at our Specialist Clinic."