The Karolinska Institutet Ethics Prize goes to Lena Marions
The 2015 Ethics Prize at Karolinska Institutet is being awarded to Lena Marions, associate professor in obstetrics and gynaecology and senior lecturer at the Department of Clinical Research and Education, Södersjukhuset (KI SÖS).
The Karolinska Institutet Ethics Prize is awarded annually to a person or group engaged at Karolinska Institutet that has been involved in a special initiative to promote ethics at the University. The prizewinner is chosen by the Karolinska Institutet Ethics Council.
Lena Marions' research deals primarily with sexual and reproductive health, which includes methods for family planning and abortion as well as gynaecological cancers and sexually transmitted infections. Her research projects have also been conducted in Bangladesh, Iran, Laos and Ukraine. A tangible result of one of Lena Marions' doctoral projects in Laos is that women are now increasingly being offered a gynaecological examination to screen for early signs of cervical cancer. She has previously worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) with the development of safe abortion methods and is currently also a member of WHO's expert panel for the recommendation of safe and effective contraceptive methods.
“Lena Marions stands up for woman, especially in the issue of abortion rights,” says Niels Lynöe, Chair of the Ethics Council at Karolinska Institutet. “She has also highlighted a number of important ethical issues in the public debate, for example, the issue of prescribing contraception for young women.“ ”In addition, she has worked actively to integrate ethics education in the medical programme with gynaecology, pediatrics and clinical genetics.”
The aim of the prize is to increase ethical awareness and to acknowledge worthy role models. The prize is awarded at Karolinska Institutet's installation ceremony in Aula Medica on 15 October 2015.