Scientific Committee

 Scientific Committee

Approximately EUR 90’000 – is annually attributed to Geneva and Lund Universities for Fellowships: Each receiving EUR 45’000. After reception of research applications from the two universities, the Scientific Committee will establish a list of candidates to whom Fellowships should be attributed.


Leif Groop

M.D., Ph.D. is since 1993 Professor in Endocrinology at Lund University. He is former coordinator and present senior professor at Lund University Diabetes Centre. He received his MD at University of Berne, Switzerland and PhD at University of Helsinki, Finland. After a PostDoc period at Yale University he devoted his research to dissection of the heterogeneity of diabetes but also to explore the pathogenic events leading to type 2 diabetes. The research group has been involved in many of the genetic discoveries on type 2 diabetes during the past 15 years, including one of the first whole genome association studies for type 2 diabetes. He has served on numerous editorial boards and achieved several international recognitions, including the Claude Bernard and Anders Jahre awards.

Professor Claes Wollheim

He is Dr. Honoris Causa, Semmelweis University Budapest and Lund University. Full professor of experimental diabetology, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva (1991-2009). Now, professor emeritus and mentor/consultant, Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University of Geneva and Lund University diabetes Centre. His work has focused on the biology and pathophysiology of the islets of Langerhans, in particular the mechanisms of insulin and glucagon secretion.

Dr. Joachim Karsegard

MD. Specialist in Endocrinology and Diabetology since 1997, registrar at Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland, 1994–1998. Installed in liberal medical practice since 1997. Member of the Swiss Society of Internal Medicine, the Swiss Society of Endocrinology and Diabetology, he is the actual President of the Group of Diabetology and Endocrinology of Geneva and vice-president of the Group of Internal and General Medicine of Geneva.

Lena Eliasson

MSc in Engineering Physics from Chalmers Technical University in Göteborg (1993) and a PhD in Cellular Physiology from the Medical faculty at Gothenburg University (1997).    Currently active at Lund University as Professor in Experimental Diabetes Research at Lund University Diabetes Centre and Vice Dean at the Medical faculty with responsibility of employeeship, working environment and research infrastructure.

Pierre Maechler

Ph.D. Professor in energy metabolism at the University of Geneva. Pierre Maechler obtained his Master degree in 1986 on neutrophil activation. He then joined a pharma company working on lipid disorders. From studies in this company, he obtained his PhD in 1993 on the mechanisms leading to diabetes-associated hypercholesterolemia. In 1995, he moved back to academia and uncovered the role of glutamate in the control of insulin secretion. Over the years, his research group made seminal contributions for our comprehension of the role of mitochondria in metabolic diseases, in particular diabetes.

Allan Vaag

  MD, PhD, DMSc. Specialist in Endocrinology and Internal Medicine since 1997. Professor of Endocrinology, Lund University, Consultant, Department of Endocrinology, Skane University Hospital, Sweden, and Professor (affiliated) of Type 2 Diabetes Pathophysiology, Copenhagen University, Denmark. Twenty percent employment as Research Consultant in the Translational Type 2-Diabet   es Research Group, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Denmark. Previous positions include Vice President and Head Translational Research, Cardiac, Renal and Metabolic Diseases, Early Clinical Development, AstraZeneca, Sweden, Professor of Endocrinology (Chair) at Copenhagen University, Consultant at Department of Endocrinology, Rigshospitalet, Denmark, and Guest Professor at Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge University, UK. Former Associate Editor of the European Journal of Endocrinology and Senior Editor of the Journal of Physiology. Previous and ad hoc member of Governmental Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Swedish research Councils.

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