Gunnar offered me a PhD position focused on twin studies to explore and disentangle the relative contributions of genetics and environmental exposures in the pathogenesis of IBD, which was also part of the global IOIBD network—an early door to international collaboration. I was drawn to the idea of living in a smaller city like Örebro while building an international academic career in parallel.
I trained clinically in Örebro, at a well-structured gastroenterology unit that at the time served as a regional referral centre for IBD. Beyond Gunnar Järnerot, Emeritus Professor Curt Tysk played an important role as a mentor for me. As part of my PhD, I spent time abroad with Professor Derek Jewell in Oxford and Professor Vibeke Binder in Copenhagen—experiences that broadened my perspective on IBD care and the management of gastroenterology units. These experiences helped me appreciate different organisational structures and clinical strategies, offering valuable models for improvement. Both Derek and Vibeke served as mentors in the true sense, supporting me professionally and personally. Their generosity and openness shaped how I now try to mentor others. To me, mentorship means embodying values I respect: generosity, supportiveness, and creating an environment that encourages independent growth. As a professor and research group leader, I strive to offer a similarly supportive and challenging space where junior colleagues can develop into confident, self-aware scientists and future leaders.
Proteomics has the advantage of being closer to the clinical phenotype than genomics or other omics layers, offering real potential for identifying biomarkers with direct clinical relevance. This makes it a promising tool for refining diagnosis, predicting disease course, and personalising treatment in IBD. However, protein analyses face significant methodological challenges:
- Many techniques are limited to predefined protein panels.
- Pre-analytical sample handling has a significant impact on results, and aspects like batch effects introduce noise.
- Untargeted proteomic methods like mass spectrometry are resource intensive, challenging their application in large-scale studies.
- Clinical translation demands rigorous validation in independent cohorts—this is essential before proteomic findings can reliably guide clinical decision-making.
Large international consortia like 3TR and miGut-Health are critical for advancing translational research, especially when high-dimensional omics data are involved. Such studies often require large, diverse datasets to ensure robustness and generalisability of findings. Advanced computational models, including supervised learning, rely on external validation; without it, there is a high risk of overfitting and limited clinical relevance. These consortia provide a platform for standardisation, cost-sharing, and deep phenotyping—key elements for identifying and validating clinically useful biomarkers. In the long run, such projects will improve the quality and efficiency of IBD care and accelerate biomarker-driven precision medicine.
I anticipate a major shift toward objective, biomarker-driven management of IBD, moving away from subjective assessments. This includes integrating molecular markers with patient-reported outcomes for more comprehensive disease monitoring. While full implementation might take more than a decade, I am optimistic that significant progress will be made within the next 10 years.
Fostering a supportive, open-minded, and non-hierarchical culture is essential for innovation and long-term success in both clinical care and research. My leadership philosophy is grounded in mentorship—creating an environment where junior colleagues are both challenged and supported as they grow into independent scientists and clinicians. One of the most critical decisions for early career researchers is the choice of supervisor: Look for someone who not only supports your work but also opens doors for future opportunities. A good mentor should help you establish a strong foundation and broaden your network, enabling you to kick-start a successful career.
I'm passionate about skiing, especially ski touring. For many years, I practised telemark skiing, but with time, I have shifted more toward alpine skiing. As our children grow older, spending time with them has become increasingly important and rewarding. I also enjoy outdoor activities more generally, though I sail less now than I did in the past.
