Håkan Geijer - new professor 2019
Håkan Geijer is professor of medical science with a specialisation in radiology. He is a consultant at the Örebro University Hospital Department of Radiology and researches how we can use radiology optimally in healthcare.
1961 Born in Trollhättan, Sweden
2001 Obtained his PhD in medical science at Linköping University with his thesis Radiation dose and image quality in diagnostic radiology.
2006 Docent in medical science at Örebro University
2018 Adjunct professor of medical science at Örebro University
When asked why he chose to focus on radiology, Håkan Geijer usually answers that, already as a teenager, he was interested in biology, technology and photography. Therefore, his choice of specialist training was in medical radiology – a field that uses X-ray and other forms of radiation in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
“As a newly trained specialist, I worked with interventional vascular radiology, where you perform medical procedures and use X-ray or ultrasound examinations simultaneously. Since both patients and staff can be exposed to high radiation doses, I became interested in radiation doses, which are also closely linked to image quality.”
This interest laid the foundation for Håkan Geijer’s thesis and his PhD in medical science. A few years later, he was appointed docent at Örebro University, and his research focuses on how best to use radiology in healthcare.
“From a radiation protection point of view, the goal of my research is how to best optimise image quality with the lowest possible radiation dose in X-ray examinations. The aim is also to obtain high diagnostic quality from the radiological examinations.”
In recent years, Håkan Geijer’s research has increasingly focused on computed tomography surveys, a form of X-ray that obtains detailed cross-section images of the body's organs.
“For several types of examinations, we have shown that the value of an examination is better when using computed tomography – which is also increasingly used today – than when using conventional X-ray.”
Håkan Geijer is also studying how healthcare can best utilise their limited resources for image diagnosis. These studies concern, among other things, whether one or two doctors should examine images from the radiological examinations.
“Another area of interest I have is the evaluation of different types of vein grafts used in cardiac surgery, where I am cooperating with researchers in thoracic surgery. A vein graft is a blood vessel that is surgically implanted as a graft and replaces a diseased artery in the heart.”
Clinically, Håkan Geijer is currently working primarily in nuclear medicine, a speciality in radiology that focuses on examinations and treatments with drugs that are radioactive. Also in this area, radiation protection and image quality are vital.
Håkan Geijer teaches on the Diagnostic Radiology Nursing Programme at Örebro University. He is also involved in Region Örebro County’s work on evidence-based medicine and systematic literature reviews for methods or interventions in healthcare services.