Claes Hultling, MD, PhD, is a physician, researcher, and internationally recognized pioneer in the care and rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries. He is Professor of Medical Science at Karolinska Institutet and Sophiahemmet University College, and a founder in the field.
After sustaining a high spinal cord injury in a diving accident in 1984, Claes left his previous career in anesthesiology and intensive care to devote himself fully to improving healthcare, quality of life, and rights for people with spinal cord injuries. He has since been a strong advocate of a holistic approach to rehabilitation, where medicine, independence, sexuality, parenthood, work, and joy of life are equally important. He is the founder of the Spinalis Foundation. (www.spinalis.se)
Claes earned his PhD at Karolinska Institutet in 1998, focusing on male infertility after spinal cord injury, and has been a pioneer in research on fertility, sexuality, and reproductive health for people with disabilities. His work has enabled men with spinal cord injuries to become fathers. He has published extensively, supervised doctoral students, and contributed to medical textbooks.
Internationally, he has played an active role in developing spinal cord injury care, including collaborations in Australia, the United States, and southern Africa. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford University and helped establish spinal cord injury units in Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia.
Beyond medicine, Claes is an engaged public debater, author, and lecturer, and a lifelong sailor who competed in the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.