NEWS The Royal Skytteanska Society (Kungl. Skytteanska Samfundet) has decided to award the Margareta and Eric Modig Prize for 2026 to Professor Stefan Söderberg and Professor André Nyberg at the Faculty of Medicine, Umeå University. The prize recognizes outstanding medical research, with a particular focus on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Stefan Söderberg.
ImageHans Karlsson“I am overwhelmed and deeply grateful. This award recognizes the long‑term research trajectory at Umeå University which, based on the MONICA and Västerbotten projects, has followed the development of cardiovascular disease over time. My research group and I are sincerely thankful for the opportunity to build upon the work laid by visionary researchers during the 1980s and 1990s,” says professor Stefan Söderberg, a physician and professor of cardiology at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University.
He is awarded the prize for his long-standing and influential contributions to research in cardiovascular and respiratory medicine. His clinically oriented and registry-based research has played a significant role in the development of new clinical practices and guidelines, including in the areas of pulmonary hypertension and cardiovascular risk assessment.
Through extensive scientific publishing, strong research funding, and leadership roles in major research collaborations, he has had a substantial impact both nationally and internationally.
Professor André Nyberg, a physiotherapist and professor of physiotherapy, receives the prize for his innovative and clinically relevant research in physiotherapy and respiratory disease, with a particular focus on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
André Nyberg
ImageMattias Pettersson“It is a great honour to receive the award. The distinction is not only a personal recognition, but also an important acknowledgement of the research we conduct and something that provides stronger conditions for our continued work. I share this award with my research group and our collaborators, whose commitment and efforts have been crucial to the results we have achieved,” he says.
André Nyberg's research has contributed to the development of new assessment methods and exercise interventions with clear benefits for patients, and is characterized by high scientific quality and strong international impact. He is also actively involved in international research networks and within the European Respiratory Society.
The prize amounts to SEK 200,000 per recipient. The awards will be presented at the Royal Skyttean Society’s annual ceremonial meeting on 22 May 2026, and the recipients will deliver ceremonial lectures in connection with Umeå University’s annual celebration in October.
The Royal Skyttean Society, based in Umeå, is one of Sweden’s 18 royal academies and works to promote science and culture, with a particular focus on the development of northern Sweden.
Further information: Camilla Sandström, Vice President, Royal Skyttean Society
