Ylva Trolle Lagerros receives Sweden's only professorship in prevention
A new donation professorship in prevention is being established at Karolinska Institutet. It will be named Prince Daniel's Professorship in Cardiovascular Prevention and will be awarded to researcher and obstetrician Ylva Trolle Lagerros, who took up the position on 1 October. The aim is to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Sweden.
A large proportion of the total burden of disease in Sweden today is caused by unhealthy lifestyles. New research shows that 45 percent of all dementias, 80 percent of all cardiovascular diseases and 30 percent of all cancers can be prevented through improved lifestyles.
But what do these lifestyle improvements consist of? How can those who need assistance be reached effectively? These are questions that the new professorship will work on and find answers to.
"There is currently a broad consensus that we need to focus more on preventing and delaying illness and ill health. Preventing illness and ill health from occurring has many benefits both at the societal level and for the individual," says KI President Annika Östman Wernerson.
The initiative to strengthen prevention research is intended to produce evidence-based knowledge so that society at large can become better at preventing cardiovascular disease.
Research for better public health
Ylva Trolle Lagerros has a great commitment to improving public health through her research, including on the importance of lifestyle habits for future health.
"During my career, I have seen incredible progress in treating disease, which is fantastic in itself. But we are facing major health challenges, now both academia, clinic and society need to work together to become better at preventing and delaying the occurrence of illness and ill health. Karolinska Institutet has a key role to play in this, and I am happy and grateful to be involved in driving that development," says Ylva Trolle Lagerros.
The professorship is located at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge at Karolinska Institutet and at Liljeholmen University Health Centre, Academic Primary Care Centre to strengthen cardiovascular prevention throughout the care chain and research collaboration with primary care. Ylva Trolle Lagerros will also continue to be clinically active in obesity care at the Centre for Obesity, Academic Specialist Centre.
The new professorship has been made possible through donations from the Norhed Foundation via the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, the health analysis company Werlabs, the vehicle manufacturer Scania and Region Stockholm.