Royal medals awarded to KI researchers
Professor Jonas F Ludvigsson has been awarded H.M. The King's Medal of the 8th size in the Order of the Seraphim ribbon for outstanding research contributions in paediatrics and inflammatory bowel diseases. At the same time, Professor Göran K Hansson receives H.M. The King's Medal of the 12th size in the Order of the Seraphim ribbon for leading contributions to Swedish academia.
At a formal ceremony at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on 13 June, HM The King's medal was presented to a small group of recipients.
HM The King's Medal, formerly the Court Medal, was instituted in 1813. Since 1975, it has been awarded to Swedish citizens in recognition of exceptional contributions.
Exceptional research contributions
Jonas F Ludvigsson receives the medal for his exceptional research contributions in paediatrics and inflammatory bowel diseases.
"It feels fantastic with this recognition. Much of a researcher's everyday life consists of hard work, rejection of articles and applications. In contrast, the medal is something very positive! Clearly a silver lining to life, and something to look back on with joy and warmth on the day you stop research," says Professor Jonas F Ludvigsson at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.
Can this kind of attention increase interest in medical research?
"I think so. Two days after the news of my medal was published by the local newspaper in Örebro, where I live, I received a letter from a young person who told me that they wanted to start researching just like me."
How will you celebrate?
"I celebrated with the family by having lunch at my favorite restaurant in the Old Town before the ceremony. I also think I'll treat myself to a copy of some luxurious magazine for the train ride home from the castle, maybe The Atlantic or The New Yorker," concludes Jonas F Ludvigsson.
Contributions to academia
At the same ceremony, KI researcher Göran K Hansson was awarded H.M. The King's Medal of the 12th size in the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim for leading contributions to Swedish academia.
"I am very honoured! The medal is a sign of appreciation for my contributions to science and its role in society," says Göran K Hansson, professor at the Department of Medicine, Solna at KI.
Professor Hansson has been permanent secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, as well as chairman of the board of the Nobel Foundation and former chairman of the Nobel Committee for Medicine.
How will you celebrate?
"It will probably be a glass of champagne with my son and daughter-in-law."