Vi anbefaler at du alltid bruker siste versjon av nettleseren din.

His Majesty The King has appointed Stein Kaasa as Knight 1st Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.

Stein Kaasa has been awarded the order for his dedicated efforts in promoting knowledge of palliative medicine both nationally and internationally.

Publisert 26.09.2025
En gruppe mennesker som poserer for et bilde

Photo: Tonje Lundeby

Kaasa received the decoration during the 14th International Seminar of the European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC). The European Palliative Care Research Centre itself is a product of Kaasa’s forward-looking work in palliative medicine and patient-centered care.

The research centre was established in 2009 in Trondheim under Kaasa’s leadership and has since developed into an internationally recognized research institution, consisting of 25 collaborating centres with researchers and support staff from North America, Australia, and Europe. The centre is now operated from the Division of Cancer Medicine at Oslo University Hospital.

Stein Kaasa is a specialist in oncology and, in addition to being a clinician and researcher, has held leadership positions at various levels within the healthcare system. Throughout his career, he has promoted patient-centered care across the entire patient journey. The overarching goal has always been the best possible quality of life and treatment based on the patient’s voice, values, and wishes. Patients should live as long and as normally as possible. Kaasa has also been a key advocate for highlighting the need for closer collaboration between different levels, professions, and specialists within cancer care.

From Research to Clinical Practice

Kaasa is committed to ensuring that research benefits patients. With over 600 academic publications and as a supervisor for more than 40 PhD candidates, he has elevated palliative care as an evidence-based discipline and helped pass on this expertise.

In addition to research and teaching, Kaasa has authored and edited textbooks. In 2018, he led the work on “Integration of oncology and palliative care: a Lancet Oncology Commission.”

“Through his groundbreaking work, Stein Kaasa has helped raise the standard of oncology and palliative care, leaving a lasting impact on research communities both nationally and internationally. The award is therefore a well-deserved and appropriate recognition”, says Sigbjørn Smeland, Head of the Division of Cancer Medicine and local director at the Radium Hospital.

Innovator and Advocate for Modern Technology

Currently, Kaasa leads major international research projects focused on the digitalization of patient-centered treatment pathways and quality of life measurement, funded by the EU and the Cancer Mission program. He is also deputy director of MATRIX, a national research centre for clinical treatment with the ambition to extend lives and improve the quality of life for patients with hard-to-treat cancers.

Recources