Espen A. Haavardsholm has received the Gleditsch Prize 2026

How can patients with rheumatic diseases receive better and safer treatment? This has been a central question throughout Espen A. Haavardsholm's research career. Now he has been awarded the Gleditsch Prize.

Haavardsholm receives the award for research that has contributed to improving the treatment of patients with rheumatic diseases. The expert committee highlights his broad clinical research background and leadership of large international studies.

– I greatly appreciate this recognition. Research is teamwork, and I am happy to work with skilled and committed colleagues. The patients who participate in the studies are crucial to what we achieve, he says.

Haavardsholm is Head of Research at Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Head of the REMEDY and Professor II at the University of Oslo. This year he was elected as a member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.

Among other things, REMEDY makes it possible to conduct large clinical studies across hospitals.

The questions come from the meeting with the patients

When can patients with good disease control taper off their medications? Is it safe to switch to a biosimilar? And what is the use of ultrasound in monitoring arthritis?

These are some of the questions Haavardsholm has worked on. Through large national and international studies, he has investigated the treatment choices patients and practitioners face in their everyday lives.

“Many of the most important research questions arise in the encounter with patients,” says Haavardsholm.

The goal is more precise treatment: choosing the right drug, monitoring the effect, and clarifying when it is appropriate to reduce treatment.

Joint efforts behind the results

Haavardsholm has previously highlighted the importance of employees for results. When summarizing the research year 2025, he placed particular emphasis on the efforts made every day:

– The most important thing is the people who put in a lot of effort every day to develop new knowledge, said Haavardsholm.

Patients' experiences make research more relevant

Patients contribute both as participants in studies and as user collaborators in research projects. REMEDY has its own patient council. Representatives from the council are part of the project groups. They help ensure that research examines questions that are important to those living with the disease.

“Patients know how the disease and treatment affect their everyday lives. When they are involved in planning the research and interpreting the results, it helps us investigate what matters most to them,” says Haavardsholm.

The Gleditsch Prize is awarded to Espen A. Haavardsholm on September 23, 2026, on the foundation's founding day.

Read the article from UNIFOR about the award

About the Gleditsch Prize

·         The Gleditsch Prize 2026 is awarded by Unifor on behalf of the Margit and Gunvor Gleditsch Foundation to support research in medicine and biology.

·         The fund was established in 1999 to support research in medicine and biology. Polyarthritis, which means inflammation of multiple joints, is one of the areas mentioned in the fund's statutes.

·         This year's award is closely linked to one of the research areas the founders of the fund wanted to support.

·         The prize is 350,000 kroner. It is traditionally awarded on September 23, every five years.

·         The award goes to researchers who have contributed to expanded knowledge and understanding in medicine and biology