Doctor Sigrid Carlsson and psychologist Danilo Garcia have each received grants of SEK 1 million from AFA Insurance. Carlsson will work with a new screening method for prostate cancer that could improve accuracy and dramatically reduce negative consequences of incorrect results. Garcia will develop methods for improving occupational health at Swedish workplaces.
Sigrid Carlsson studies prostate cancer screening to develop a new, better screening tool. Carlsson was born in 1982 and grew up in Gothenburg. She trained as a physician at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and received her Ph.D. in urology in 2010. She is currently studying public health at the Harvard School of Public Health while also researching at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Swedish men and the leading cause of cancer-related death among men. In the late 1980s, it became possible to detect prostate cancer early through the PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test. PSA screening in studies cut mortality from prostate cancer in half. The method, however, risks detecting small, benign tumors that would not have become evident during the patient’s lifetime. Since treatment through surgery and radiation can lead to urine leakage and seriously impact erectile ability, a more accurate screening method could improve quality of life for many men. It is currently estimated that more than half of all men in Sweden between 50 and 70 years of age have tested their PSA value.
“I want to redesign screening. I am confident that we can dramatically minimize negative consequences and enhance the quality of life for men at risk of prostate cancer,” says Carlsson.
The grant will enable Carlsson to continue her research on prostate cancer screening at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for two years. Using MRI and by studying new biomarkers and genetic variations, it is possible to improve accuracy and reduce the number of unnecessary treatments. The project is an American-Swedish collaboration with the Urology Unit at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. It will also allow Carlsson to evaluate how a new screening strategy affects quality of life for men and to develop support strategies for men who are considering PSA screening.
Danilo Garcia has received AFA Insurance’s postdoctoral grant in occupational health research. The grant is worth SEK 1 million and allows Garcia to spend two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University in the United States. Garcia was born in 1973. He received his Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Gothenburg in 2011. Today he works at the University of Gothenburg’s Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health (CELAM), where he conducts research on mental health and well-being therapy. The grant enables Garcia to conduct research at the Center for Well-Being at Washington University in St. Louis in the United States.The university, in collaboration with the Anthropedia Foundation, has tailored a postdoctoral program for Garcia.
“The Center for Well-Being is a world leader in the development of well-being therapy that integrates both cognitive behavioral therapy and individual-centered personality tests. I’m working to develop methods to implement randomized studies in Swedish workplaces,” says Garcia.
The two-year postdoctoral program will lay the foundation for a scientific validation of well-being therapies in different groups. These efforts will then be adapted to Swedish conditions together with leading physicians, psychiatrists, instructors, psychologists, and sociologists who examine well-being and preventive health strategies in their respective fields.
“My goal is to develop a model for how to use positive emotions, such as commitment, enthusiasm, and pride, to improve the safety of workers and enhance their productivity,” says Garcia.
AFA Insurance is one of the nation’s leading funders of research and development in occupational health and health in general and annually awards SEK 150 million for research. An important mission is to support and encourage opportunities for young researchers to study and research abroad. To this end, AFA Insurance awards postdoctoral grants within occupational health and public health research. Each grants is for SEK 1 million. These are two-year grants and the first ones were awarded in 2012.
“Labor market stakeholders are eager to improve the work environment in Swedish workplaces. Danilo Garcia’s research is clearly linked to this,” says Hans Augustson, Head of AFA’s research unit.
AFA Insurance is one of the nation’s leading funders of research and development in occupational health and health in general and annually awards SEK 150 million for research. An important mission is to support and encourage opportunities for young researchers to study and research abroad. To this end, AFA Insurance awards postdoctoral grants within occupational health and public health research. Each grants is for SEK 1 million. These are two-year grants and the first ones were awarded in 2012.