From marine biology to urology by sheer chance
He was on his way to study marine biology at the University of St Andrews. But after a year of mandatory military service, he felt completely mentally drained. A series of rejections and a twist of fate led him to medical school instead. Today, Johan Stranne is a professor of urology.
Johan Stranne is head of research area and newly appointed professor of urology at the Institute of Clinical Sciences in Gothenburg. His career took a different path than he expected.
As a young man, he planned to become a marine biologist and applied to St Andrews, the oldest university in Scotland.
“I even went there for an interview. But then I did my military service, and after that I was completely mentally drained. I worked for six months in Hagfors and felt that I had to study something,” says Johan Stranne.
Bad luck in the lottery led to medicine
He applied to several stand-alone courses.
“I think I was number 143 on the waiting list for an introductory law course and number 55 for a statistics course. Admission was based purely on a lottery system.”
Johan Stranne was not lucky in that lottery. But his high school grades were good enough to get him into the medical program in Lund.
“My original plan was to do just one term in Lund and then spend a year studying marine biology in Scotland. After that, I would decide what I liked best. But I felt so at home in Lund and in the medical program that I stayed. I have never regretted that decision.”
Hired by mistake
His internship was at the urology department at NÄL in Trollhättan. That led him into a research career at the University of Gothenburg—after a job offer at Sahlgrenska University Hospital that came about by mistake.
It was already signed and sealed
“I was supposed to get a six-month position. But after a while it turned out that HR had sent the wrong papers. The contract said ‘permanent position.’ It was already signed and sealed,” says Johan Stranne, smiling.
“Since then, they have not been able to get rid of me. I actually attended the 25-year anniversary dinner two years ago. That marked 25 years of service in the region.”
He began his research in Gothenburg almost immediately, completed his PhD in 2006, and was appointed professor in March 2025.
“I was thrown straight into research by the former professor, Jonas Hugosson, who pulled me into his large screening study on prostate cancer. I learned tons from him. He leaves big shoes to fill, but I will do my best. And I look forward to hopefully passing on to others what I got from Jonas and other experienced researchers,” says Johan Stranne.
Curiosity has driven him throughout the years.
“I am naturally very curious, and I have been ever since I was a kid. I want to understand how things work and why. It does not matter if it is marine organisms or complications after prostate surgery. It is the same driving force.”
Hernias became the starting point
His thesis focused on a concrete problem: inguinal hernias after open prostate cancer surgery.
“We saw that a very large proportion of patients developed hernias within a couple of years. I wanted to find out why.”
It did not get the impact I had hoped for
The study showed that about one in five patients were affected. The exact mechanisms were difficult to pinpoint, but Johan Stranne and his colleagues also tested solutions that proved effective. Still, the study lost some of its relevance.
“It did not get the impact I had hoped for. Today, almost all prostate cancer surgeries are done using robotic techniques. This makes inguinal hernia much less of a problem.”
His research continued, focusing in part on urinary leakage—another common complication after prostate cancer surgery. The clinical benefit has become more tangible.
“I know that 20 to 30 percent of patients experience urinary leakage after surgery. If I operate on one hundred and twenty of them have leakage, but I can reduce that number to ten, then I get direct feedback from my research. It is incredibly rewarding to solve problems and improve things for the patients.”
”Extremely patience-testing”
Not all projects produce quick results. In several studies, Johan Stranne has had to wait decades for answers.
“Prostate cancer is an extremely patience-testing field. We have a large Nordic study with 1,200 patients comparing radiation therapy and surgery for locally advanced cancer. It started nine years ago, and we know we will not get the main results for at least another ten years.”
Johan Stranne, 55, is leading the study together with Olof Akre at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.
“We are the same age. If we are lucky, we might get the main publication out before Olof and I retire,” says Johan Stranne with a laugh.
In parallel, there are other projects with even longer timelines.
“We are following patients with low-grade prostate cancer, where the tumors develop very slowly. In that case, we are talking more like 15 to 20 years before we can really say if the method is safe. It is that long-term. But it is also really exciting.”
Three legs that reinforce each other
Johan Stranne clearly sees how the different parts of his professional life strengthen and inform each other.
“I do research, I see patients, and I contribute to writing guidelines. All three legs reinforce each other. I get a deeper understanding of my clinical work through research, and I get better research questions through my patients.”
He is chair of the national prostate cancer care program and part of the European guidelines. The knowledge he gains from research influences how he operates—and how he teaches.
I think I have the perfect job
“I think I have the perfect job. I would not want a pure research position with no patient contact. But I also would not want to keep going clinically without trying to learn more and improve how we do things.”
Teaching and supervision are also important to him. Johan Stranne supervises several PhD students and describes the work with them as a form of intellectual sparring.
“It is a mutual process. They challenge me, read other studies, and contribute new perspectives. That makes me better. Working with doctoral students helps me sharpen my thinking and improve my own methods as a researcher.”
Text: Jakob Lundberg