SVERRE SANDBERG

Prof Sandberg earned his medical degree and doctorate at the University of Bergen, Norway.
In 1984 he became a Specialist in Biological Chemistry (Clinical Chemistry). Prof Sandberg is the founder and former Director of the Norwegian Porphyria Centre (NAPOS) (www.napos.no), established in 1999 at Helse Bergen HF, Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway.
NAPOS is part of the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Rare Disorders (NKSD). The centre diagnoses all porphyria patients in Norway, and provides advice to healthcare personell and patients concerning diagnosis, treatment and follow up.

NAPOS is also running the European Porphyria Network External Quality Assessment Scheme (EPNET EQAS) which is a scheme especially designated for specialist porphyria laboratories worldwide. The centre has also established a Drug Database for Acute Porphyria (www.drugs-porphyria.org). The database provides evidence-based advice on safe and unsafe drugs for the acute porphyrias and is used worldwide. The centre has established the Norwegian Porphyria Registry, a national medical quality registry, and is also responsible for the European Porphyria Registry. Prof Sandberg has also been a member of Steering Committee of the European Porphyria Network (Epnet) since 2000, and has been President of Epnet from 2019 until present.

Prof Sandberg participated in founding NOKLUS, the Norwegian Quality Improvement of Laboratory Examinations (www.noklus.no) at Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital, Bergen, Norway in 1992, and he has been Director of NOKLUS from 1996 until present. He has also been the Director of Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry at Haukeland University Hospital (250 employees) in 10 years from 2002-2012.

In 2009-2014 he was chair of the Scientific Committee in EFLM (European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine). In 2014-2015 he was president elect of the EFLM and in 2016-2017 he was president of the EFLM (www.eflm.eu). He is chair of SKUP, Scandinavian Evaluation of Laboratory Equipment for Primary Health Care (www.skup.nu). He was from 1996-2002 chair of the Committee on Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine and from 2002-2008 chair of The Global Campaign of Diabetes Mellitus in IFCC (International Federation of Clinical chemistry and Laboratory Medicine). From 2012-14 he was president of the European Organization for External Quality Assurance in Laboratory Medicine (EQALM).

Prof Sandberg has extensive expertise as a basic scientist in clinical chemistry and photobiology, and as a clinician in the diagnosis and treatment of porphyria diseases. His main research interests are in the use and interpretations of laboratory tests, external quality control, porphyrias, photobiology, evidence based laboratory medicine, post-analytical quality assurance and laboratory use in diabetes mellitus. Prof Sandberg has published more than 250 papers in peer reviewed clinical and scientific journals and 5 book chapters. He has been the main supervisor of 14 PhD students and has given in average 10-15 international lectures per year the last 20 years.