Göran Bondjers

Göran Bondjers(GB) is presently professor of cardiovascular medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg university. He presented his PhD thesis in 1972. In contrast to then current beliefs, he demonstrated the significance of local factors for the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease. This view has lead to new alternatives for treatment. GB has published some 250 original scientific publications ( see http://www.wlab.gu.se/GORAN%20BONDJERS%20referenser.pdf; ) in peer-reviewed journals.  A number of students supervised by GB have now become leading figures in the field of heart research. During the late seventies, GB became engaged in endeavors to establish a center for heart research in Gothenburg. The new center, the Wallenberg laboratory, was a totally new concept with the close association between basic research and clinical activities in a hospital setting. It is considered the role model for modern clinical research in Sweden, with currently more than 200 collaborators. The Wallenberg laboratory is internationally recognized as a leading research unit in its field, as well as an innovative organization in clinical research. 

GB became dean of the medical faculty at the University of Gothenburg in 1993. He was involved in a discussion on the dimension of the education of physicians, leading to an increase in educational capacity. He was also involved in discussion concerning the role of the intellectual capital in health care. He was further instrumental in the establishment of the second school of pharmacy in Sweden. Both the education of physicians and that of pharmacists are the most attractive in Sweden today.  In the nineties it became obvious that the organization of health care in Gothenburg needed major improvements. GB, in his capacity as a dean and member of the hospital board, had a key role in the efforts to improve the organization. An important component in the reorganization was that all health care needed sufficient volumes of patients, procedures and other activities to allow good quality. This was the basis for the formation of Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Today, the hospital is top ranked in Sweden concerning quality as well as costs. Also in the nineties, GB was involved in the efforts to integrate all health educations at the University of Gothenburg. A new matrix organization, based on the requirement of  the new production of knowledge, was to replace the old hierarchical organization. The new organization would be associated with the Nordic School of Public Health GB became the first president and chairman of the Academy board.

Between 2006 and 2010, GB was dean and director of the Nordic School of Public Health in Gothenburg. The school, was established in 1953. It was necessary to redefine the mission of the school in view of the establishment of other schools of public health in the Nordic countries. The work became focused on the initiation of different networks in public health involving also the other schools. In addition, the Nordic School focused on areas which had been neglected. The new directions lead to an increased demands for the competence of the school with a surge of research activity and postgraduate students. The Nordic School today is a collaborating centre for WHO, with a focus on Human Resources for Health.  From 2010 Bondjers is senior scientific advisor of Global Health Europe, a Geneva-based think tank. Bondjers has been chairing major evaluations of public health at Karolinska institute, and the Finnish Occupational Health Institute. In 2010, GB was appointed honorary professor at Hanoi Medical University, based on his endeavors to establish an infrastructure for research training in Vietnam.