Under “The Way Forward” we will publish posts from former students and colleagues of Hans Rosling, on how to take his work with providing a fact-based worldview forward.
We are a generation of students who grew up with Hans Rosling as our teacher, our moral compass and most of all our role model.
Hans Rosling has inspired students across the globe. For many of us, he was the major reason to our choice of study, our interest and engagement in global health, our many hours of late night studying. As students at Karolinska, we were especially privileged to have Hans as our teacher. His presence at Campus was a persistent source of inspiration. Constantly busy and on the move, our energetic and enthusiastic professor always took the time to listen to us, encourage us and try to give us answers to our questions (the most difficult as well as simple ones). He had a very rare way of making us feel important and significant as students.
Hans Rosling inspired and empowered a whole generation of young Global Health leaders. With a toilet roll he could explain the most complex issues and make our rapidly changing world comprehensible. By providing us with tools in his ever optimistic manner, he appeased us when the world went chaotic and he gave us faith when the world seemed to be getting darker.
Hans used to make a point out of the fact that students, and people in general, would get less correct answers on his quizzes than chimpanzees. The Hans Rosling Generation has changed that. Aside from the fact-based worldview, he taught us to always be updated, to think before we act and to constantly reevaluate the world around us. He also taught us to speak the truth and to always act responsibly, with compassion, kindness and understanding. Thanks to Hans, we are a generation of interconnected students and our classroom is the world.
Thank you Hans for the privilege of growing up with your worldview as our compass. We promise to honour your legacy of all that you have taught and given us.
Daniel Hellden, Caroline Olsson, Giulia Gaudenzi, Linus Kullänger, Magnus Winther and Emelie Looft
Students at Karolinska Institutet