Vilmundur Guðnason awarded the Icelandic Falcon Order on New Year's Day

Vilmundur Guðnason, the chief physician of the Icelandic Heart Association and a professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, was honoured with the Icelandic Order of the Falcon during a ceremonial event at Bessastaðir on New Year's Day. Vilmundur was among a group of fourteen individuals who received this recognition this time.

Vilmundur received the Order of the Falcon for his contribution to research and prevention in the field of cardiovascular diseases.

Vilmundur completed his medical studies at the University of Iceland in 1985 and earned his doctoral degree in molecular genetics at University College London in 1995. He has served as the chief physician of the Icelandic Heart Association for over two decades and has concurrently been a professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, with a focus on the genetics of cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, he has been a visiting scientist at the Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics at Royal Free and University College in London and at the Institute of Public Health at the University of Cambridge.

As highlighted on Vísindavefurinn (The Science Web), Vilmundur's research has primarily focused on epidemiology and genetic epidemiology. He has, among other projects, directed two extensive studies in Iceland: the Aging Study of the Icelandic Heart Association (AGES Reykjavik study), one of the most detailed studies into aging and the factors influencing diseases and health as age progresses, and the Risk Factor Study of the Icelandic Heart Association (REFINE Reykjavik study).

Vilmundur has actively participated in international scientific collaboration, contributing to significant discoveries regarding the origin and development of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions. In addition, Vilmundur has mentored numerous students in master's and doctoral programmes, both in Iceland and abroad.

Vilmundur is the author of hundreds of scientific articles published in prestigious journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, Nature Genetics, JAMA, NEJM, and Lancet, to name a few. He has also been listed on the Clarivate list of the world's most frequently cited scientists.

For his contributions, Vilmundur has received numerous accolades, including honorary awards from the Ása Guðmundsdóttir Wright Prize Fund, and the Nikkilä Memorial Award from the Scandinavian Society for Atherosclerosis.
 

Vilmundur Guðnason with Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland at the ceremonial event at Bessastaðir on New Year's Day. MYND/Forsetaembættið