An Experienced Researcher seeks answers for their clients

Johan Rehnberg started working as a Scientific Advisor at Medaffcon’s Swedish office in August 2024. He is a dynamic researcher who values opportunities to learn new things and develop his skills – opportunities that Medaffcon provides.

As a Scientific Advisor, Rehnberg designs and conducts RWE (Real-World Evidence) studies for Medaffcon’s clients. Additionally, he has had the opportunity to work on Market Access applications, where he has been able to leverage the expertise that he gained in his previous role at TLV in Sweden (the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency).

At TLV, Rehnberg worked as a medical assessor. That has been very useful for his work at Medaffcon.

“I learned how authorities and pharmaceutical companies utilize real-world evidence in health economic models to get market access for their products.” Rehnberg explains.

A Research Career That Began at the Karolinska Institute’s Aging Research Center

Before joining TLV, he worked as a researcher at the Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University. He first completed his doctoral dissertation and then continued with two two-year postdoctoral research positions. One of these was an international project that he was awarded funding for, collaborating with and visiting researchers at the Amsterdam UMC (University Medical Center).

In his research, Rehnberg focused on public health and epidemiology, particularly aging research, epidemiological research methods and national health-register studies. His academic background also includes studies in sociology, economic history, and statistics.

“I enjoy analyzing problems and figuring out how best to utilize information to solve them. That’s the essence of research,” Rehnberg says.

Research in Healthcare Leads to Direct Impact

Rehnberg ended up in the healthcare research field by chance – an opportunity he describes as fortunate.

“I have been happy with my choice. This field produces practical results with direct societal impact. The goal is to improve people’s lives,” he says.

When he joined Medaffcon, the company had just begun expanding into the Swedish and Nordic markets.

“What I enjoy most about my work is tackling different challenges and applying the skills I learned as an academic researcher. This job offers me the opportunity to grow and develop my expertise in many different areas.”

The Challenge of Gaining Access to Data from Authorities

According to Rehnberg, one of the biggest challenges in RWE research is the scale of the projects. Timelines are often dependent on external factors, such as whether authorities and regional data holders in Sweden and other Nordic countries grant access to their data.

“Even though both we and our clients do our best, things don’t always go as planned. Predicting outcomes is always difficult, and sometimes you just must accept uncertainty. RWE studies are long-term projects, often taking two years or more,” he explains.

Currently, he is working on multiple projects focused on gathering data from different data holders in Sweden.

“At the moment I am in contact with different data holders in Sweden almost daily, working to secure access to the data we need for our projects.”