Ásgeir Helgason Explained

Ásgeir R. Helgason (born 1957) is an Icelandic scientist working at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Since 2002 he has been an associate professor in psychology at the Departments of Oncology-Pathology and Public Health at the Karolinska Institutet and Reykjavik University, Iceland.

Ásgeir is best known for his population based research on sexual function^[1] and emotional isolation^[2] in elderly men and prostate cancer patients, patient trade-off^[3] and his work on smoking cessation and quitlines.^[4] Helgason was a prime mover in the establishment of the Swedish and Icelandic national quitlines for smoking cessation (1998) and responsible for their development. He was also engaged in the development of a similar telephone-based proactive treatment for people who seek help for controlling their alcohol consumption (alcohol quitline).^[5]

Other work includes research on motivational interviewing and palliative care,^[6] followed by an ethical analysis of facilitating death talk in end-of-life care.^[7]

Ásgeir has two sons. His brother-in-law is writer and humourist Tim Moore, his father is scientist Helgi Valdimarsson and he is a brother of scientist Agnar Helgason.

References and sources

• PhD thesis (1997): Prostate Cancer Treatment and Quality of Life – a Three Level Epidemiological Approach
• Sexual function in middle aged and elderly men: https://web.archive.org/web/20051124231518/http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/4/285
• Emotional isolation in elderly men: http://www.pauldickman.com/publications/emotional_isolation.pdf
• Smoking cessation - quitlines: https://archive.today/20130113030309/http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/3/306
• SvD - on emotional isolation (Swedish): http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/idag/did_9739365.asp
• Aftonbladet - on emotional isolation (Swedish): http://www.aftonbladet.se/telegram/0,1082,437113_INR__,00.html
• DN - on oral tobacco (Swedish): http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=597&a=343773
• DN debatt (Swedish)Samtal om döden/Death talk
• List of scientific publications at US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
• Death talk

Notes and References

1. 31st NACS conference, September 4–7, 2008 13:10-14.00 Ásgeir Helgason, Iceland/Sweden: Opening lecture. "Waning orgasm pleasure after radical treatment for localized prostate cancer and impacts on .
2. Emotional isolation in elderly men: http://www.pauldickman.com/publications/emotional_isolation.pdf.
3. PhD thesis (1997): Prostate Cancer Treatment and Quality of Life – a Three Level Epidemiological Approach.
4. Smoking cessation - quitlines:https://archive.today/20130113030309/http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/3/306.
5. The national alcohol helpline in Sweden: an evaluation of its first year. Kozma. Ahacic. Lena. Nederfeldt. Ásgeir R.. Helgason. 1 January 2014. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy. 9. 28. 10.1186/1747-597X-9-28 . free. 25015403. 4100057.
6. Death talk: gender differences in talking about one's own impending death. Bragi. Skúlason. Arna. Hauksdóttir. Kozma. Ahcic. Ásgeir R.. Helgason. 11 March 2014. BMC Palliative Care. 13. 1. 8. 10.1186/1472-684X-13-8 . free. 24618410. 3975272.
7. Using motivational interviewing to facilitate death talk in end-of-life care: an ethical analysis. Isra. Black. Ásgeir R.. Helgason. 1 March 2018. BMC Palliative Care. 21. 1. 17(1):51. 10.1186/s12904-018-0305-5 . free. 29562885. 5863449.