| Åke Wennmalm is a physician and specialist in clinical physiology. He had his basic and specialist education at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
Between 1986 and 1995 he was professor in Clinical Physiology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg. After the return to Stockholm he was head of the clinical laboratories in Stockholm County Council and during this period he also became increasingly interested in the link between human health and the environment. Between 2000 and 2009 he was head of environmental business/environmental director at Stockholm County Council, which is the organisation providing all public health care and public transportation in the greater Stockholm region. In this position he established environmental programs for the organisation with clear quantitative environmental targets, which were anually followed up. Climate change and chemical pollution were the targets primarily in focus during this work. Climate change was counteracted by introduction of fossile-free fuels in public transportation of people and goods, and by introduction of the world's first equipment for destruction of dinitrous oxide (l"laughing gas") outlets from delivery wards in the region's hospitals. Chemical pollution was counteracted by systematic identification, registration and elimination of chemicals used in the various activities in the county council, by introduction of environmental classification of pharmaceuticals and by systematic discussions of improvement of all aspects of pharmaceutical management with national and EU authorities, pharmaceutical producers, prescribers and water authorities. Åke Wennmalm retired from his position as environmental director by the end of 2009 and is currently holding a position as senior advisor in environmental issues in Stockholm County Council. Åke Wennmalm has published more than 200 scientific papers in clinical physiology, experimental cardiology and environmental pharmacology. |