Asgeir R. Helgason, PhD Karolinska Institute, Sweden

Asgeir Helgason is Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden where he has been an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Oncology-Pathology and Public Health. He also is on the faculty of Reykjavik University, Iceland. Dr. Helgason is best known for his population-based research on sexual function in elderly men and prostate cancer patients. He was a principal mover in the establishment of the Swedish and Icelandic national quit lines for smoking cessation and responsible for their development. He has also pioneered in the development of a similar telephone-based proactive treatment for people who seek help for controlling alcohol consumption. He also has conducted research on motivational interviewing and palliative care of cancer patients and its effect on long term well-being in surviving spouses.