NordenBladet – King Harald V of Norway handed out the prestigious King Olav Vs Cancer Research Prize for 2019 on Tuesday. The award ceremony was in the atrium of Oslo University. King Harald presented the prize which is dedicated in memory of his father on behalf of the Cancer Society in Oslo.
Guest arrived at the ceremony from 12:30 on Tuesday with the ceremony starting soon after the king had arrived at 1pm. The Secretary General of the Cancer Society, Anne Lise Ryel, welcomed King Harald and gave a speech. The speech was followed by a song and music from well-known Norwegian artists.
King Harald then handed over King Olav Vs Cancer Research Prize for 2019 to Professor Anne Simonsen and the Norwegian Breast Cancer Group. It is the first time the prize has been presented to two winners, and the first time a whole professional environment received the prize. After a short speech by the winners, the ceremony was ended with another musical performance.
Anne Simonsen is a professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oslo. She is also co-director at the Center for Cancer Cell Reprogramming. Throughout her impressive career, Simonsen has focused on cellular biological research, especially the cellular mechanisms involved in how cancer occurs. She has developed a research program within the study of autophagy. She publishes very actively and has an obvious potential to make important breakthroughs in cancer research in the future.
The Norwegian Breast Cancer Group is a clinical research environment consisting of 30 doctors and researchers from all over the country who receive the prize for their large, positive significance for former and future breast cancer patients in Norway. In the future, the group will continue to work for better treatment for those affected by breast cancer.
King Olav Vs Cancer Research Prize was created on 29 April 1992 to commemorate King Olav V. The Fund, each year, awards a prize to a cancer researcher, or a group of cancer researchers, who have helped to promote the quality of Norwegian cancer research.
Featured image: His Majesty The King of Norway (Jørgen Gomnæs / The Royal Court)