Professor Bengt Winblad, MD, PhD has been involved in the field of dementia research for many years. He became MD 1971 and took his PhD in 1975 at the University of Umeå, Sweden, where he became a Docent in 1977 and Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Chief Physician in 1982. Bengt Winblad has since been a guest professor at the Department of Psychiatry in Frankfurt and honorary professor at Beijing University, Wuhan University and Shanghai University in China. Currently, he is working in Stockholm, Sweden as Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet and is Chief Physician at Karolinska University in Huddinge.

Professor Winblad has been involved in numerous professional appointments and university activities. These have included being a member of the Advisory Committee for the Medical Research Council. He is co-chairing the European Alzheimer Disease Consortium (EADC) and presently chairing the Medical Scientific Advisory Panel of the Alzheimer Disease International (ADI). He is also a member of the Nobel Assembly for the Prize of Medicine and Physiology at the Karolinska Institutet. Professor Winblad is the Head of the KI-Alzheimer Disease Research Center in Huddinge including KASPAC (KI Dainippon Sumitomo Alzheimer Center), as well as the Director of the Swedish Brain Power research network.

Bengt Winblad’s research interests focus on the epidemiology, genetics and treatment of dementia conditions, especially Alzheimer’s disease. He has been presented with a number of awards for his contribution to this research area. He has taken the initiative regarding pharmaceutical treatment (memantine and later donepezil) of patients with severe Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Winblad has been a tutor for more than 150 PhD dissertations and has published more than 1000 original publications in the field of gerontology/geriatrics/dementia research.

Honours and Awards

  • 1997 The Royal Swedish Academy of Medical Sciences Award for Dementia Research
  • 1997 Norage Kabi Pharmacia Awards
  • 1997 The Alois Alzheimer Award
  • 1997 Honorary Professor, Beijing University of Medical Science
  • 2001 The Swedish Society of Medicine Award (Sandeborg’s price)
  • 2001 Swedish Medical Society (Thuréus prize)
  • 2001 Honorary Professor, Wuhan University of Medical Science
  • 2002 The Nordic Prize in Gerontology
  • 2002 Honorary Professor, University of Timisoara, Romania
  • 2005 IPA Recognition Award for Service to the Field of Psychogeriatrics
  • 2006 Honorary Professor, Jiao-Tong University, Shanghai
  • 2008 Award established in my name by the organisation International Conf in AD and related disorders (ICAD) “Khalid Iqbal and Bengt Winblad Lifetime Achievement Awards in AD” to be given out every year at ICAD conferences.

Five selected scientific publications

  • Mullan M, Crawford F, Axelman K, Houlden H, Lilius L, Winblad B, Lannfelt L. A pathogenic mutation for probable Alzheimer’s disease in the APP gene at the N-terminus of beta-amyloid. Nature Genetics. 1992, 1: 345-347
  • Winblad B, Poritis N. Memantine in severe dementia: Results of the 9M-best study (benefit and efficacy in severely demented patients during treatment with Memantine). Int J Ger Psych 1999: 14: 135-146
  • Winblad B, Palmer K, Kivipelto M. Jelic V, Fratiglioni L, Wahlund L-O, Nordberg A, Bäckman L, Albert M, Almkvist O, Arai H, Basun H, Blennow K, De Leon M, Decarli C, Erkinjuntti T, Giacobine E, Graff C, Hardy J, Jack C, Jorm A, Ritchie K, Van Duijn C, Visser PJ, Petersen R. Mild cognitive impairment: beyond controversies, towards a consensus: report of the International working group on mild cognitive impairment, J Internal Med 2004; 256; 240-246
  • Winblad B, Kilander L, Eriksson S, Minthon L, Båtsman S, Wetterholm A-L, Jansson-Blixt C, Haglund A, Donepezil in patients with severe Alzheimer´s disease: double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study. Lancet, 2006; 367(9516): 1057-65.5
  • Winblad B, Cummings J, Anderasen N, Grossberg G, Onofrj M, Sadowsky C, Zechner S, Nagel J, Lane R, A six-month double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of a transdermal patch in Alzheimer’s disease–rivastigmine patch versus capsule. Int J Geriatr Psych. 2007;22(5):456-67.