AWARD. Six of this year’s seven award recipients attended the touching award ceremony for the Thesis of the Year. The ceremony also gave a vivid account of pediatrician Arnt Vestby, whose donation funds the Thesis of the Year awards at Sahlgrenska Academy.
During 2021, 140 doctoral students defended their theses, with seven of these being honored during the award ceremony–one award for each of the six institutions and one for the thesis of the year from Sahlgrenska Academy.
Dean Agneta Holmäng congratulated all award recipients and thanked the panel who, together with the dean, nominated the recipients to the board for the Arnt Vestby Research Foundation, which funds the award.
“It is a great honor for the faculty to be able to introduce and congratulate these award recipients. I would like to extend my warm thanks to the Dr Arnt Vestby Research Foundation for making these awards possible. This has become a delightful Sahlgrenska Academy tradition,” the words of Agneta Holmäng during her welcome speech.
Benefiting Sahlgrenska Academy in his will
Ville Wallenius, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Surgery and member of the board of the Dr Arnt Vestby Research Foundation, took the opportunity to paint a picture of the pediatrician who bequeathed all his assets to Sahlgrenska Academy for the benefit of medical research and to the Red Cross to support its projects. It was not by chance that he chose these beneficiaries. The Red Cross played a major role in his liberation from a German concentration camp at the end of World War II. He then came to the Faculty of Medicine in Gothenburg, where he was able to conclude the medical studies that he had begun before the invasion of Oslo.
A member of the audience described how during his residency, he had worked closely with Arnt Vestby, who later went on to become a pediatrician and school physician in Kungsbacka. He remembers Arnt Vestby as an extraordinary and inspirational supervisor, who became a role model for the research he went on to conduct.
The Foundation was represented by the Chair of the Board, Sven Blad, and Deputy Anna Petersson.
Short presentations
Six of the seven award recipients attended the ceremony. Johan Lönnbro, the recipient from the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, was unable to attend as he was traveling. The remaining six award recipients each gave a brief presentation of their thesis and received flowers and a diploma.
Thesis of the Year 2021 at Sahlgrenska Academy
Jesper Sundell’s thesis, “Optimization of first-line anti-tuberculosis therapy in patients co-infected with HIV” (Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology)
Sundell’s thesis explores how treatment for tuberculosis can be improved, especially for vulnerable patient groups with HIV. The thesis proposes how precision dosing could improve treatment for individual patients using algorithms that are based on patient-specific characteristics.
Read a longer text about Jesper Sundell’s thesis on Akademiliv: https://akademiliv.se/2022/05/83185/
Thesis of the Year 2021 from the Institute of Biomedicine
Erik Ehrencrona’s thesis, “The Role of FCGBP in Mucus – Structure, Processing and Function”
Ehrencrona’s thesis investigates the protective layer of mucus in the gut and airways. This protective layer of mucus comprises mainly mucins – a type of glycoprotein. The thesis characterizes the protein that is the most common component of gut mucus and that also forms in the airways in the event of an illness. This protein is known as FCGBP. The protein plays a vital role in the process that binds mucus in diseases like COPD.
Thesis of the Year 2021 from the Institute of Clinical Sciences
Maria Siekkeri Vandika’s thesis “Vitamin D and Vitamin D-binding Protein in Psoriasis and Effects of Treatment”
Vandika’s thesis explores the role of vitamin D and its carrier protein, D-binding protein (DBP) in psoriasis, which is an immunological disease that often leads to joint complaints and skin problems. Vitamin D is available from our diet but is mainly created in our skin upon contact with the sun. For the first time, the thesis presents a method that makes it possible to study and validate vitamin D in the skin–a method based on mass spectrometry which has been developed in collaboration with researchers at Chalmers. The method can also be used to study the breakdown of vitamin D in the skin. The study has also shown that DBP can be an indicator of inflammation in the blood in patients with psoriasis, especially those who also experience joint problems.
Thesis of the Year 2021 from the Institute of Medicine
Sofia Manousou’s thesis “Iodine intake and uptake in populations at risk for iodine deficiency”
Manousou’s thesis has shown that those who are pregnant and breastfeeding in Sweden may have mild iodine deficiencies. Iodine is a substance necessary to build thyroid hormones. Nevertheless, those who are pregnant and breastfeeding are not advised to take iodine supplements, as too much iodine can be dangerous and it is difficult to achieve the correct dosage.
Read more on the Institute of Medicine’s website: PhD thesis of the year discovers iodine deficiency in those who are pregnant.
Thesis of the Year 2021 at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology
Johan Lönnbro’s thesis “The medical perspective in prescribing: measurements and educational strategies”
Lönnbro’s thesis addresses how we evaluate and measure the quality of drug therapy and what we can do to improve the potential for good quality.
Thesis of the Year 2021 for the Institute of Odontology
Agnes Dahlstrand Rudin’s thesis “Neutrophil recruitment in periodontal disease”
Dahlstrand Rudin’s thesis explores the recruitment of white blood cells known as neutrophil granulocytes in periodontal disease. It shows the type of neutrophil that is recruited to the inflamed gingival pocket and identifies signal molecules and receptors used in the process.
Thesis of the Year 2021 from the Institute of Health and Care Sciences
Malin Hansson’s thesis, “A meaningful work in a strained context – exploring midwives’ work situation and professional role”.
Hanson’s thesis explores how the work situation and professional role of midwives has changed. It is a highly topical subject, as there is a shortage of midwives throughout Sweden. Many of the sub-studies have received media recognition, and Hansson has been invited to several meetings with public authorities and politicians to share her research findings.
Read more in previous press releases about Malin Hansson’s studies:
- New research on midwives’ work environment: https://akademiliv.se/en/2021/11/78457/
- Top five ways to get midwives to stay in the profession (in Swedish): https://akademiliv.se/2022/05/82816/
BY: ELIN LINDSTRÖM
