Kåre Ingmar Berg (1 March 1932 – 24 January 2009) was a Norwegian professor in

medical genetics Medical genetics is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to me ...

, physician-in-chief and well-cited researcher.

Early life and education

Kåre Ingmar Berg was born on 1 March 1932 in

Hammerfest Hammerfest or Hámmárfeasta is a town/cityIn the Norwegian language, the word ''by'' can be translated as "town" or "city". that is also the administrative centre of Hammerfest Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the nor ...

. He graduated as MD in 1957 and dr.med. in 1964 at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

Career

From 1964 to 1967 Berg was a fellow researcher at

Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...

, New York. In 1967 he became the first professor in medical genetics in Norway at the

. In 1976 he became head of department of medical genetics at

Ullevål University Hospital Ullevaal Stadion () is an all-seater football stadium located in Oslo, Norway. It is the home ground of the Norway national football team, and the site of the Norwegian Cup Final. From its opening in 1926 to 2009 it was the home ground of F ...

and held this position until retirement in 2002. In the period 1993-2002 he was physician-in-chief at the Center of Preventive Medicine at Ullevål University Hospital. As a head of department of medical genetics at Ullevål University Hospital, Berg was in many years leader of all genetic prenatal diagnostics in Norway. In addition, he was in charge of

genetic counseling Genetic counseling is the process of investigating individuals and families affected by or at risk of genetic disorders to help them understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. ...

of the population of

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

Research

In the early days of his career Kåre Berg discovered the

Lipoprotein(a) Lipoprotein(a) is a low-density lipoprotein variant containing a protein called apolipoprotein(a). Genetic and epidemiological studies have identified lipoprotein(a) as a risk factor for atherosclerosis and related diseases, such as coronary h ...

, an inherited component in serum which increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. He maintained the research on Lp (a) throughout life. His other research was focusing on genetics in general and complex diseases like myocardial infarction in particular. Berg published approximately 650 scientific works, including 10 books and one lexicon. He held more than 120 invited lectures at international meetings, and was invited guest lecturer in approximately 40 universities abroad. In several periods he was a scholar-in-residence at National Institutes of Health in the United States. He continued as a researcher and research mentor after becoming a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

Commissions and honorary posts

Berg was an adviser in genetic diseases and medical ethics in the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

from 1973. From 1986 Berg headed the WHO Collaborating Centre for Community Control of Hereditary Diseases. Berg was member of the permanent committee for International Congresses in Medical Genetics in the period 1981-1996 and the president of the committee in 1991-1996. He was a national delegate in ethic committees in the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...

from 1987 to 1996 and member of the Norwegian biotechnology advisory board from 1991 to 1998. From 1995 he was a member of the committee of ethics in the

Human Genome Organization The Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) is a non-profit organization founded in 1988. HUGO represents an international coordinating scientific body in response to initiatives such as the Human Genome Project. HUGO has four active committees, includ ...

, and from 2005 as deputy chairman. He was a member of the editorial board for several international journals and editor-in-chief in ''Clinical Genetics'' from 1970 to 1997. He was elected as a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

in 1974, and member of the board from 1975 to 1988. He was also a member of the board in the Sigurd K. Thoresen Foundation for education and research for inherited diseases from the start in 1977 and chairman from 1994 until he died. He was a member of the board for the Nansen Fund.

Awards

In 1964 Berg received the international Jean Juilliard Prize, and in 1970 the Anders Jahre Prize for Young Scientists "for clarification of certain inherited factors in man".

Personal life

He resided at Grav, later at Skillebekk. He died in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Kaare 1932 births 2009 deaths People from Hammerfest Norwegian geneticists University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters