Pol Campos-Mercade is one of 2 newly appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellows at Lund University, and one of 27 nationwide to receive a five-year research grant from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
“The programme is long-term and very attractive. One measure of this is that very few researchers have left the programme to pursue a career outside Sweden. The aim was precisely to retain talented Swedish researchers in Sweden and to attract foreign talent, as well as allowing them the space they need to tackle difficult research questions in the long term,” says Peter Wallenberg Jr, chair, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
Pol Campos-Mercade at LUSEM will conduct experiments in which he will randomize a large number of people to different public health interventions. Initially, he will focus on promoting vaccinations and cancer screening, but later he also plans to look at interventions relating to smoking, alcohol, physical activity and dietary habits.
“I will look at specific health behaviours and what policies are effective. But if there are policies that are effective but disliked by the public, they will be unlikely to be implemented in practice. I want to give the full picture to the policymakers of what works and what people are willing to abide by,” says Campos-Mercade.
The background to this research project started in 2021 when COVID-19 vaccines were starting to be distributed. Some twenty to forty percent of the population globally were unwilling to take the vaccine, which lead Campos-Mercade to investigate what policies would be needed to change their mind.
At that time Campos-Mercade had just completed his PhD at LUSEM and he realised the potential of Swedenin terms of data infrastructure.
“Here, most data are centralised and linked to personal ID numbers, and Sweden’s ethical board makes it possible for researchers to access them responsibly. This allows us to study some of the most important societal issues,” he explains.
The aim of his research will be to guide decision-makers so they can design health policies that are effective, equitable and have the support of the population.
How does it feel to be appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellow?
“Really feels fantastic, like a dream come true, to be given this trust to use these funds to push my research forward. It will allow me to carry out the most ambitious projects I’ve been wanting to work on,” Pol Campos-Mercade concludes.