At this spring's conferment ceremony in Stockholm City Hall, honorary doctorates were awarded to Margareta Persson and Leif Lundblad, both of whom are influential and leading figures in their respective fields. They were moved and proud to receive their hats, diplomas and tributes in the form of a cannon salute and applause from a packed Blue Hall. "My thoughts go to my dad today, he would've been so happy and proud," said Margareta Persson after the ceremony.
The title of honorary doctor at Karolinska Institutet (KI) is awarded to people who have made significant scientific achievements or otherwise contributed to research and development.
This year's honorary doctors, Margareta Persson and Leif Lundblad, were selected for their important work in the fields of disability rights and medical innovation.
Champion of disability rights
Throughout her career, Margareta Persson has been a fervent advocate for issues concerning rights, accessibility and equal treatment for people living with functional impairments.
Among the many posts she has held are chair of the Swedish Disability Federation (now the Swedish Disability Rights Federation ) and Social Democrat member of parliament, during which time she also worked to improve the care of disabled people.
A short while after the ceremony in Stockholm City Hall, Margareta Persson tells us that she is overjoyed, perhaps more so for an important issue than for herself.
"I'm overjoyed about the attention being drawn to all the issues that the disability rights movement works for. But, of course, I also feel incredibly honoured and proud."
How do you hope your honorary doctorate will help the issues you work with?
"I hope that those involved in education and research will turn the spotlight on disabled people and how functional impairments affect their lives. Many health sciences programmes mainly see the disease but not always the person as a whole. To me, it's vital that more healthcare professionals are aware of this. I also hope that researchers look a little more at what the disability movement has meant to people."
Entrepreneur with an interest in research
"I'm actually in tears I'm so ecstatic," said Leif Lundblad after the ceremony. "It's a bewildering experience to stand here as an honorary doctor at KI."
Honorary doctor Leif Lundblad is an entrepreneur and inventor with over 400 patents in a wide range of fields to his name, such as the banknote dispenser found in ATMs, which revolutionised cash-handling around the world.
As a patron of research, Leif Lundblad's generous donations to Karolinska Institutet have helped to fund research in many fields, such as pain and Alzheimer's disease, to name just two.
New business donation model
Leif Lundblad works according to a new research donation model, inspired by his background as an entrepreneur.
"The research being done at KI is fantastic and I'm trying to inject a little more entrepreneurship by operating fairly close to the researchers. They work on their projects and we meet regularly a couple of times a year to discuss what they've been doing in the interim, and what their plans are for the coming six months. These discussions and state-of-play meetings make our collaboration very exciting for them and for me and my colleagues. Just being there to donate money and hearing that it might bear fruit in five years' time... Sure, but I've heard better news!"
Getting a broader perspective
The academic ceremony is followed by a three-course meal and dancing. Leif Lundblad is looking forward to the rest of the evening.
"I can't wait to partake of a delicious meal and have a dance. This entire evening is a dream!"
On the way in to dinner, Margareta Persson sends an extra thought to a very special and much-missed person.
"My dad only had six years of elementary school and spoke often about the importance of education. But mostly of education as a formative experience and that people need to have a bigger picture. Because for society to work, you need a broader perspective. You can't get bogged down in details. My thoughts go to him today, he would've been so happy and proud."
