Contributions to the dental health of elderly awarded with new ethics prize
Karolinska Institutet is awarding its first ever ethics prize this year. The purpose of the award is to help improve ethical awareness and to acknowledge worthy role models amongst its staff. The 2006 prize is being awarded to associate professor Gunilla Nordenram at the Department of Odontology for her efforts to raise people’s understanding of the dental health of the elderly.
“As the proportion of old people in the population increases, the issue of how we take care of our elderly will be more and more current”, says Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, president of Karolinska Institutet. “This prize is our way of showing how important it is that old people is regarded with respect and competence within the health care system.”
In their citation, the awards committee praised Gunilla Nordenram’s unfailing professional commitment to raising ethical awareness and knowledge of geriatric dental health and to maintaining a high degree of cross-professionalism in her message at undergraduate level and beyond. In her work, Dr Nordenram has preferred to focus on the whole person, seen from a live-long perspective. “Mutual respect” is the keyword of her research, clinical practice and teaching.
“Besides being very knowledgeable in ethical issues, Gunilla Nordenram is also an empathetic and considerate person,” says Stefan Einhorn, chairman of Karolinska Institutet’s ethical council. “In other words, she’s a very deserving recipient of this first ethics prize.”
Dr Nordenram holds the country’s only lectureship in gerodontics (dental health care for the elderly) and has co-authored a large number of scientific articles and books on the subject. She is also a highly sought-after lecturer in her field.
The newly inaugurated prize comprises a statuette and a diploma, and is to be awarded at Karolinska Institutet’s annual installation ceremony for professors in the Berwald Hall in Stockholm on 2 November.
Kontaktinformation
Please direct any queries to:
Professor Stefan Einhorn
Phone: +46-8-517 745 69 or +46-70-713 14 18
E-mail: stefan.einhorn@ki.se
KI Press Officer Katarina Sternudd
Phone: +46-8-524 838 95 or +46-70-224 38 95
E-mail: katarina.sternudd@ki.se
