Trio honoured at Novo Nordisk Foundation Teaching Prize ceremony

On 1 June, the auditorium in the Bartholin Building was filled with leaders, colleagues and friends as Frank Vicenzo de Paoli, Thomas Holm Pedersen and Jean Farup were formally presented with the Novo Nordisk Foundation Teaching Prize 2026.

The three educators come from different medical disciplines and have jointly developed an interdisciplinary physiology course. Through hands-on work with measurements and data, students learn to connect theory with practice.

Vice-Dean for Education at Health, Lise Wogensen Bach, opened the ceremony by highlighting what, in her view, makes the trio stand out.

“You have created Denmark’s first fully integrated training laboratory for medical students. Here, our students encounter real physiological data for the very first time – not perfect textbook curves, but actual measurements with genuine biological variation,” she said.

Opening students’ eyes to medicine

Stefania Xella, Senior Scientific Manager at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, then presented the award and flowers, describing the honour as recognition of the group’s exceptional ability to engage students in complex theoretical subjects.

“This is a team that truly opens students’ eyes to medicine and engages them in a way that goes far beyond what we normally see. It is clear that you do not simply teach side by side – you complement one another, and that is also reflected in the students’ evaluations of the course,” she said.

Following the ceremony in the auditorium, colleagues and friends gathered for a reception in the Bartholin canteen, where they had the opportunity to congratulate the three recipients over sparkling wine and cake.

The award includes DKK 1.5 million, of which DKK 25,000 is awarded to each of the three recipients as a personal honour.

The remaining funds will be used to further develop the teaching programme through new equipment and upgraded learning facilities.