The prize is awarded yearly to honour the best researchers at the hospital, and the prize money of NOK 300.000 is to be used on research. Andreassen received the prize during a ceremony at Rikshospitalet in Oslo on August 23, 2019.
From the committee statement:
Ole A. Andreassen has a focus in his research on the causes and mechanisms of severe mental and neuropsychiatric disorders. The outcome of the research has contributed to increased understanding of the development and putative treatment of diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, eating disorders, autism and ADHD as well as age-related brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Andreassen has been a pioneer in psychiatric molecular psychiatry and has been able to lead the building of large biobanks and databases, making use of Norway’s advantages with registers and public health care. He also saw the need for major collaborative projects, and was active in building international studies in psychiatry and neuroscience that have combined materials from many countries to achieve statistical strength. He was early on using modern MRI imaging technology, was involved in establishing the first functional MRI laboratory in Oslo, and has been instrumental in establishing the MRI Core Facility for Neuroimaging.
Andreassen has published extensively in highly ranked journals and is currently one of the most cited researchers in Norway. He has a broad experience of supervision of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, where a large proportion has developed their own scientific career. We are confident that Ole A. Andreassen will continue to be an outstanding contributor to the research at Oslo University Hospital.
Read more about the award: The Oslo University Hospital Researcher Awards to Andreassen, Kalager and Sveen