Birgitta Henriques Normark is a professor of clinical microbiology and a senior physician at the Karolinska Institute. Her research focuses on pneumococci and, among other things, why these bacteria can be found in the noses of perfectly healthy children while, in other cases, causing ear infections, pneumonia, and meningitis. In parallel with her role as president, she continues her research within the framework of the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship. Birgitta Henriques Normark has been elected president for a three-year term.

Torsten Söderberg’s Academy Professorships in Medicine
The Academy Professorships are intended to promote internationally leading research in the field of medicine by enabling the holder to devote themselves full-time to research at a Swedish medical faculty for five years. The Torsten Söderberg Foundation donates ten million kronor to each individual professorship. The professorships are reviewed and awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences following a peer-review process.