“I am now looking forward to leading the work at Uppsala Clinical Research Center (UCR)”, she says. “The UCR is a unique centre that combines all the clinical, academic and technical expertise needed to design and conduct innovative clinical trials, and I have worked with UCR in various roles, both as a medical director in the pharmaceutical industry and as an academic researcher. In my work, I engage and inspire employees to develop and innovate and seek to create a workplace culture where people ‘long’ for work. An important goal in the work ahead at UCR is to build smart and innovative project teams that become sought-after resources for exciting clinical research both regionally, nationally and internationally,” says Maria Eriksson Svensson.
Maria Eriksson Svensson graduated as a physician and specialised in renal medicine and endocrinology/diabetology in Umeå, and at the same time, she obtained her PhD in diabetic kidney disease, later becoming a docent in Umeå as well. She has since worked in various roles in healthcare, academia, the pharmaceutical industry and government. In the autumn of 2020, she was recruited as a professor and senior consultant at Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital, coming most recently from a role as medical director in the pharmaceutical industry. Clinical research has always been a common thread throughout the years and has included studies on kidney disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among others. A broad background in healthcare, academia, pharmaceutical industry and government has enabled several complex research projects.
“I see this assignment as an exciting opportunity to lead and, in close collaboration with the steering committee at Uppsala University, Uppsala University Hospital and Region Uppsala, continue to develop the unique activities and expertise at UCR, and work to make research an integral part of healthcare. I also see increased collaboration with other actors in clinical research, both in Uppsala, in Sweden and internationally. In a rapidly changing world, with the development of complex medical techniques and treatments in, for example, precision medicine with new possibilities for data sources and data analysis methods, I hope that UCR will not only be a part of the development but also help to lead parts of it. In the past, I have had the privilege of interacting with researchers in many different specialities, from different research centres, from industry and from government agencies, both in Sweden and internationally. I now hope that this experience of clinical research, management and collaboration will be useful in my new role,” says Maria Eriksson Svensson.