SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics (Bellingham, WA), has awarded Katarina Svanberg, professor and chief consultant of oncology at Lund University Hospital (Sweden), with the 2017 Gold Medal of the Society. The award recognizes her contributions to biophotonics, especially her clinical work exploring and verifying the efficacy of phototherapy and in vivo diagnosis in treating cancer patients.
The award acknowledges Svanberg's dedication to building scientific and medical infrastructure in Africa, and inspiring young people across the world. She has trained medical personnel in the poorest regions of Africa in biomedical optical techniques. Her support for scientists in developing countries is apparent from her active and encouraging participation in programs at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP; Trieste, Italy), such as the Winter School for Optics. She was also instrumental in founding the Ven Summer School, which draws top faculty and students in biomedical optics from around the world for a concentrated high-level interchange.
Svanberg is a Fellow of SPIE and served on its Board of Directors from 2005-2007, as well as serving on various SPIE committees. An editorial board member for the Journal of Biomedical Optics, she has co-authored more than 40 original scientific SPIE conference papers, and given invited talks at over 90 international conferences and over 30 universities. She is a recipient of the Prize for Interdisciplinary Science, Royal Society of Science, Uppsala University; the SKAPA Innovation Prize in the Memory of Alfred Nobel; and the Innovator Award from the Society for Industrial Development, Sweden.
Beginning in 1977, the Gold Medal of the Society has been awarded annually in recognition of outstanding engineering or scientific accomplishments in optics, electro-optics, or photographic technologies or applications to recipients who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of relevant technology.