The UAB pays tribute to the academic career and values of rheumatologist Ingrid E. Lundberg

Rector Lafuente described the new honorary doctor as “an example for all of us”, since according to him, “the fact that the university is a privileged environment for the training of future professionals and excellent researchers is largely explained by the existence of exceptional people like Professor Lundberg”. He also recalled that “Dr Lundberg's contribution to the European network EUMYONET and to the promotion of international projects and scientific meetings have been fundamental in advancing the goal of improving the dissemination, understanding, diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory myopathies”.

Lafuente praised Lundberg's collaboration with the UAB Faculty of Medicine and strongly defended the collaboration between international institutions and the interdisciplinary approach to research. He described the UAB as “a leading university in the field of medical and health sciences” and assured that, “to achieve this degree of excellence and to project the activity of the Faculty of Medicine, collaboration with researchers from leading international institutions and participation in international networks and projects have also been crucial”.

Classifying a heterogeneous disease

In her lecture, Dr Lundberg stated that “collaboration between disciplines and frontier areas is vital to improve the lives of people affected by myositis”, or by autoimmune inflammatory diseases, whose diagnosis, she explained, “can be difficult due to the heterogeneous nature of the disease”.

Lundberg summarised her research effort to advance in the classification of myositis. “We undertook a study with 976 patients and 624 comparison cases that resulted in the establishment of the 2017 EULAR/ACR classification criteria,” she recounted. From the results obtained, she created the MYONET registry “to collect comprehensive data on patients with myositis,” which has facilitated genetic studies on the disease.

She concluded that “the understanding of myositis has evolved significantly” and “has highlighted the existence of different clinical subgroups linked to specific autoantibodies”. In her speech, Lundberg also referred to other aspects of her research on myositis, such as the fact that she has identified “infections and environmental factors, such as smoking, as possible triggers” and explained that “current treatment guidelines advocate physical exercise together with immunosuppressive therapy”.

Collaborations with the UAB

In his presentation of the merits of the honorary doctor, her sponsor, Albert Selva, affirmed that Dr Lundberg “has been key in the leadership of projects that have changed medical and scientific knowledge” about myositis, and praised her ability to “bring together clinicians and researchers from around the world and engage them in projects that have an impact on clinical practice”. Selva, professor in the Department of Medicine at the UAB, also highlighted the collaborations of the University's teaching and research staff with Lundberg's team at the Karolinska Institute and the benefits of the exchange of knowledge established between the two institutions.

According to him, “the generosity in accepting young doctors in her centre is a characteristic that honours” Dr Lundberg. In addition, Selva wanted to highlight “her relationship with patients and patients' associations, her generosity and her respect for colleagues and health professionals”.