Jonas Spaak

Jonas Spaak

Adjunct Professor
Telephone: +46852482612
Visiting address: Entrévägen 2, 18257 Danderyd
Postal address: D1 Kliniska vetenskaper, Danderyds sjukhus, D1 Kardiologi Vaskulär medicin och hypertoni, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • I am a Cardiologist with a keen interest in vascular medicine, integrated care, cardiorenal syndrome, heart failure, hypertension, arterial stiffness, vascular function and sympathetic regulation. My background with a PhD in Physiology and Post-Doc in Cardiovascular Physiology and Cardiology give me a solid foundation which enriches my current clinical research. My research focus on disease mechanisms and their management in patients with vascular disease and concomitant diabetes or impaired kidney function.

    In 2013 I started the Heart-Nephrology-Diabetes clinic, an integrated clinic for patients with concomitant cardiovascular disease, impaired renal function and diabetes. I am responsible for a regional referral centre for Vascular Medicine. I am President of the Swedish Society for Hypertension, Stroke and Vascular Medicine, and Vice President in the Swedish Heart Union, and engaged in several other organizations. I believe  efforts in this area will have a real impact on the individual patient, which I find truly inspiring.

    • President Swedish Society for Hypertension, Stroke and Vascular Medicine (www.hypertoni.org/).
    • Past President of KIRCNET; Karolinska Respiration and Circulation research NETwork (researchnetworks.ki.se/converis/area/201).
    • Sir Stanley Davidson Lecturer, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 2016.
    • Swedish representative in VAS, Vascular Independent Research and Education European Organisation.
    • Swedish representative in European Union Medical Specialists, div. Angiology and vascular medicine.
    • Member of the departmental Research Board and head of the Clinical Research Support CenterMD, Karolinska Institutet, 1999
    • PhD, Karolinska Institutet, 2001
    • Clinical Research Fellowship (post-doctoral), Mount Sinai Hospital and
    • University of Toronto, Cardiology, 2001-2004.
    • Visiting Scientist, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, 3 months, 2002.
    • Specialist in Internal Medicine, 2011
    • Specialist in Cardiology, 2013
    • Associate Professor in Cardiology, 2016
    • ESH Hypertension Specialist, 2023
    • Adjunct Professor of Cardiology with a focus on Vascular Medicine, 2025

Research

  • From vascular dysfunction to integrated complex chronic disease management . Part of the Research Group in Vascular Medicine and Hypertension @ KI-DS.

    Main supervisor (PhD) for:
    Hermine Rietz, MD on “Cardiovascular effects of obstructive sleep apnea”.
    Masih Khedri, MD on “Renal dysfunction and long term outcome after myocardial infarction”.
    Gudrun Evén, RN, on "Patients' perception of care and measures of safety in a multidiciplinary person-centered clinic".
    Henrik Hellqvist, cardiologist, ” Arterial stiffness for risk assessment in cardiovascular disease”.

    Co-supervisor for: Felicia Håkansson, MD, Christina Montgomerie, MD, and Johanna Hilmo, MD.

    Past: Main supervisor for MD PhD Josefin Mörtberg, MD PhD Kristina Lundwall and MD PhD Christina Ekenbäck. Co-supervisor for MD PhD Helge Brandberg, MD MA Muhammad Rafiq, MD MA George Keel, and MD PhD Liyew Desta.

Teaching

  • 500+ hours teaching at the MD program, Karolinska Instiututet. 70+ invited lectures.

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2025 - 31 December 2026
    Background Heart failure (HF) is a common disease with high mortality and morbidity especially in combination with severe chronic kidney disease (CKD). Virtually all major studies in HF exclude patients with  severe CKD. Eplerenone is one of the main therapies in HF.Aim The overall aim is to build a research network to study HF therapies in patients with HF in combination with severe CKD. The main trial is a randomized open label trial of eplerenone vs usual care. The pilot study will lay the foundation for the first trial and to evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of using eplerenone in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (EF) in combination with severe CKD.MethodsInclusion and exclusion criteria for both the main trial and pilot study:HF with EF≤40% in combination with estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt
    30 ml/min/1.73mPatients with ongoing or planned dialysis, hypotension and hyperkalemia will be excludedDesignMain trial - Open label randomized study with major adverse renal and cardiac events as primary endpointPilot study - N=40. Open label ABA-design (baseline, intervention, withdrawal). Two observational periods are chosen as the patient group has a high risk of clinical events. 12 week observation, 12 week treatment and 12 week washout. Feasibility and safety are the key endpoints and efficacy endpoints are exploratory.The pilot study will help to develop eCRF, safety protocols and help to estimate recruitment potential for the main trial.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2025 - 31 December 2026
    The aim  is to analyze the effect of SGLT-2 inhibitors on cardiovascular outcomes for patients on dialysis.Patients on dialysis have a high risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Previous randomized controlled studies (RCT) on SGLT-2-inhibitors have shown decreased risk of cardiovascular outcomes. The DAPA-CKD study included patients with eGFR 25 to 75 ml/min/1.73 m2 and microalbuminuria and showed 30 % decreased risk of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for heart failure. However, patients on dialysis have been excluded from all previous RCT.We plan to include patients on dialysis in Sweden (age &gt
    50 years or 18-49 years and diabetes mellitus type 2 or a cardiovascular disease) and to randomize to SGLT-2 inhibitors or not. The primary outcome will be a composite of major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for heart failure and stroke).The steering committee of the Swedish National Nephrology Research group and patient representatives will be involved early. Through all members of the research group we will be able to reach out to almost all nephrology clinics.During the planning phase a litterature review, applications to CTIS, and feasibility surveys will be performed. A statistician will be involved in the detailed study plan. We aim to plan the study during 2025 and 2026 and then start inclusion.
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2021 - 31 December 2022
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2021 - 31 December 2023
  • VINNOVA
    15 April 2020 - 31 March 2021
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2020 - 31 December 2020
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2020 - 31 December 2020
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2019
  • Neural and humoral cardiovascular control in human hypertension and heart failure.
    Heart and Stroke Foundation
    1 July 2001 - 30 June 2002

Employments

  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, 2025-2029

Degrees and Education

  • VAS European Fellowship of Excellence in Angiology/Vascular Medicine, VAS European Independent Foundation in Angiology/Vascular Medicine, 2024
  • ESH Hypertension Specialist, European Society of Hypertension, 2023
  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2016
  • Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 2001
  • University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 1999

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