Every year, the University of Oslo awards the prize to a young researcher or research group who has distinguished themselves through outstanding research. The prize is intended to be an inspiration and an appreciation for promising young researchers.
Peder Langeland Myhre, who is a professor at the Department of Cardiology at the University of Oslo and a consultant at Oslo University Hospital, is awarded the prize for 2026.
“Within the field of medicine alone, there are many incredibly talented young researchers who I am inspired by and look up to, not to mention all the groundbreaking research that is being done at other faculties.”
Will not write off the ailments of the elderly
Myhre became a professor at a young age and leads several research projects. He has researched how biomarkers, AI-based echocardiography and digital home monitoring can improve diagnostics and treatment of patients with heart disease.
He leads of the NorTrials Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, and he is a specialist in heart failure. Heart failure is a disease that affects many, causes great suffering and has a poor prognosis.
“Many of these patients are elderly, and their ailments are often written off as “old age” or “poor shape”, when they actually have heart failure for which we currently have good treatment,” Myhre explains.
That is precisely why he is particularly interested in the diagnostics of heart failure. Here, both heart-specific blood tests and imaging diagnostics play an important role.
Myhre's research has provided new insight into identifying the risk of heart failure, and he has made key contributions to the understanding of the cardiac impact of COVID-19.
“A tsunami of heart failure”
Scientific progress has contributed to improved outcomes for patients with heart failure, but many people live with heart damage that can cause heart failure later in life.
“In recent decades, we have had fantastic progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The probability of dying from a heart attack has been reduced by about 85 per cent since the 1970s,” Myhre says.
His hope is that his research into new diagnostic methods can help detect heart failure in patients earlier.
“There is now effective treatment that can both prevent and treat heart failure. It is therefore very important to identify patients early, so that we can help them avoid reduced quality of life, hospitalizations and early death.”
Despite great progress, society faces major challenges when it comes to heart health.
“Parallel to the progress, we have an obesity epidemic that we now know is strongly associated with heart failure. We are probably facing a tsunami of heart failure,” Myhre says.
Passion for the heart
The professor says that he fell in love with the heart organ during medical school, after he got a job in the cardiology department. Even after a long research career, this is still his passion.
“For me. research has become a mixture of hobby, job and lifestyle. I constantly think about the research we are doing, and I take every opportunity to open my laptop when I think of something clever.”
Myhre is involved in more than 20 studies in cardiology, and the centre he leads has now established a network of cardiologists working in both small and large hospitals in Norway. Here, collaboration is needed to succeed with their heart studies, something he is keen to emphasize:
“Collaboration, team spirit and network building are crucial to survive and succeed in research. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with a very strong cardiovascular research group at Akershus University Hospital and UiO, with good mentors and colleagues for whom I am very grateful.”
Wants more academics in the media landscape
As a science communicator and teaching professor, Myhre highlights the importance of communicating research, especially in matters that can be perceived as challening or divisive.
“A notable sidetrack in my career has been research on omega-3 and heart disease. We found that omega-3 had no beneficial effect after a heart attack. We actually found an increased risk of atrial fibrillation.”
He says that he has followed this field closely, and that the research has been confirmed in several large studies.
“It has received mixed responses among Norwegians who have a spoonful of cod liver oil every morning as a kind of religion, and has created a lot of media attention. There is also a large industry that dislikes this.”
As a result, Myhre has a great commitment to communicating research in the media.
“I think we academics must take up space in the media landscape to a larger degree, and front evidence-based science. We live in a time where trends from social media and influencers dominate. I have an appeal to other researchers: do not leave the public conversation about health to those who do not have the evidence on their side.”
The importance of young researchers
Earlier this year, Myhre won the Young Scientist of the Year award for his great commitment to clinical studies. He believes that it is important to encourage younger people to engage in research.
“In my own field, this is becoming more and more important as the clinic becomes more demanding and there is less time for research on the side,” he says, continuing:
“I hope that, in the future, split positions between the university and the hospital are better facilitated, including for the most valuable group in the chain: the postdoctoral fellows. Far too many medical professionals stop doing research altogether after completing their doctorate.”
UiO's Prize for Young Researchers
The Prize for Young Researchers is awarded alternately to humanities and social sciences or medicine and natural sciences. In 2026, the prize was awarded to researchers in medicine and natural sciences.
The prize winner(s) must be 40 years of age or younger at the time of award. The purpose of the prize is to be an inspiration and an appreciation for promising younger researchers.