Professor Miia Kivipelto wins the 2020 Ryman Prize

Professor Kivipelto was awarded the Ryman Prize by the Right Honourable Jacinda Arden, Prime Minister of New Zealand, for her decades of research into dementia prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

The Ryman Prize was launched in 2015 by the Ryman Foundation to acknowledge inventions, ideas, research concepts or initiatives that enhance quality of life for older people. The annual prize of a $250,000 grant is award by a diverse, international jury.

Professor Kivipelto was chosen for this year’s award due to her dedication to aging research, including her work on the FINGERS study, a multidomain lifestyle intervention to slow cognitive decline in older age, and the expansion of this study into the foundation of a global initiative: the WorldWide FINGERS Network. The Ryman Prize Director David King had this to say about Professor Kivipelto’s win:

“Our jury thought she was an outstanding candidate. Professor Kivipelto’s research is world leading, practical and influential. She leads a team of 100 researchers and clinical staff working on the challenge and her colleagues describe her as a very hard-working scientist who is absolutely dedicated to understanding disease and improving life for older people…She’s a great advocate for her field of research and there is no doubt she will use this recognition to her work. She’s an inspiration and this prize is a thank you for all the work she has done, and will no doubt continue to do.’’

Professor Kivipelto, while not able to attend the ceremony in person due to COVID restrictions, accepted the award via video link. She was delighted to win.
“I am extremely happy and grateful for this prize…This is a great honour, not just for me, but for my team. I believe this will give us even more energy for what we do, which is more important than ever. We’ve kept going though COVID-19 and we’re getting great results, and we will keep going.”

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