Professor Miia Kivipelto was awarded the Ryman prize by the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, at a special ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Professor Kivipelto joined the ceremony via video-link. The Ryman Prize is an annual USD 250,000 international award for the best work carried out anywhere in the world that has enhanced quality of life for older people. The prize was established to create the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for people working in the field of the health of older people.
The award recognises Professor Kivipelto for more than 20 years of research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. She is leading the EU-FINGERS project, a JPND-funded consortium, which focuses on solutions for risk reduction of Alzheimer´s disease and dementia through a Precision Prevention approach.
Professor Kivipelto was delighted to win: “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 have kept going though COVID-19 and we are getting great results, and we will keep going.’’ “The failure rate in Alzheimer’s disease drugs under development is 99.6% and there have been no new drugs approved since 2002. There is no miracle cure. Our research focuses on identifying who is at risk and finding ways they can reduce these risk factors. It is not just one solution – but there are a whole lot of things we can do to reduce the risk.’’
Professor Kivipelto was singled out for this year’s prize for her tireless dedication to her research, and her far-reaching impact around the world.
“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 is an inspiration, and this prize is a thank you for all the work she has done, and will no doubt continue to do.’’, said David King, Ryman Prize Director.
