Names
Jesper Hallas honoured for a lifetime of research in pharmacology
Professor Jesper Hallas from the Department of Public Health has been awarded the BCPT Nordic Prize 2026 – a Nordic lifetime achievement award for researchers in pharmacology and toxicology.
When Jesper Hallas began his research career in the late 1980s, pharmacoepidemiology was, in his own words, "uncharted territory". Since then, he has helped develop both the methods and infrastructure that make it possible to investigate how medicines work and are used in real-world settings.
He is now being honoured with the BCPT Nordic Prize 2026 for his contributions to pharmacology throughout a long research career.
- It is a great pleasure to receive this recognition from my peers for a lifetime of research. It is a highly prestigious prize, and I am joining a group of outstanding researchers who have truly shaped pharmacology as we know it, says Jesper Hallas.
From a Funen prescription registry to drug safety monitoring
Jesper Hallas' main research interest has been pharmacoepidemiology – the use of epidemiological methods to study the effects and use of medicines in populations.
An important step was the establishment of the Funen prescription registry in 1990. This made it possible to link information about prescription medicines with other health data and thereby investigate, among other things, potential adverse effects of medicines.
Since then, Jesper Hallas has worked on developing methods and study designs that are now used, among other purposes, to identify previously unknown adverse effects of medicines.
- My main interest has been to develop methods, infrastructure and practices within pharmacoepidemiology. Today, I – and many others – use these methods to monitor medicines for previously undetected adverse effects, says Jesper Hallas.
Third SDU researcher on the list of recipients
The BCPT Nordic Prize is awarded annually to an outstanding Nordic researcher in basic or clinical pharmacology or toxicology. The EUR 15,000 prize recognises a lifetime of research that has made a significant contribution to the field, both in the Nordic countries and internationally.
Jesper Hallas is the third SDU researcher to receive the prize. Philippe Grandjean received it in 2015 and Kim Brøsen in 2022.
The BCPT Nordic Prize is awarded by the Nordic Association for the Publication of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. Jesper Hallas was named the 2026 recipient at the association's board meeting in Naples on 4 September 2026.