Karolinska appoints Olof Akre as new director for R&D

Olof Akre, Professor at Karolinska Institutet and Head of Operations at the Department of Thematic Studies – Cancer, will be the new Director of Research, Education and Development (R&D) at Karolinska University Hospital. He succeeds Annika Tibell, who is retiring.

Karolinska University Hospital has just appointed Olof Akre as the new Director of R&D (Research, Education and Development).

"Welcome Olof Akre to an urgent and important assignment - I look forward to a close and fruitful co-operation. And many thanks to Annika Tibell, who is stepping down as R&DU on 1 May and who during her years in this position has led the work on the hospital's research, education and development in a very wise and successful way,"says KI's President Annika Östman Wernerson. "Not least, our collaboration on research and education was of great importance during the years of the pandemic, and Annika's role and efforts in these contexts were extremely valuable."

In close collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, the R&D staff is a driving force in the hospital's development towards the healthcare of the future.

"Achieving synergy in research, education and development between Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, two large organisations that are different principals, is a major challenge," says Olof Akre, professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at Karolinska Institutet and newly appointed director of Research, Education and Development (R&D) at Karolinska University Hospital. "It is important to pursue issues at the right level in the organisations and to leave a great deal of freedom and responsibility to those who carry out the research and education. Research must be free in order to achieve results."

Research infrastructure

The new director emphasizes the importance of creating an infrastructure that makes it easy to conduct research. It requires the entire organization to be involved, all the way to the consulting rooms and departments.

"The university hospital's mission is not only to provide care according to guidelines. We will also develop care and provide the very latest treatment within the framework of studies," says Olof Akre.

Acting hospital director Patrik Rossi has highlighted research and collaboration with Karolinska Institutet as an important part of the hospital's future.

"We want to be one of the smartest hospitals in the world. In order to provide each individual patient with the best possible care, we need to integrate research and healthcare. Olof Akre will be an important person in this work and he is the right person to lead R&D," says Patrik Rossi.

Olof Akre takes over from Annika Tibell, who will retire on 1 May. He will take up his new position on 22 April.

This article was first published on 19 April by Karolinska Institutet.