OLLE SELINUS: A FRIEND, A COLLEAGUE, A PIONEER, AN INSPIRATION

Few people have had the opportunity to establish a globally recognize discipline. Olle Selinus (1943-2023) is one of those select few for having established the modern discipline of Medical Geology. Although the concept of the natural environment impacts human health in both positive and negative ways has been understood for millennia and the term Medical Geology has from time to time appeared in the literature for more than 100 years. There have been several previous attempts to establish such a discipline, but it was not until Olle Selinus arrived on the scene that that the discipline of Medical Geology became a reality. 1n1996 Olle Selinus led a Working Group under the auspices of the International Union of Geological Sciences. The name ‘Medical Geology’ was adopted by the Working Group in 1997. Thanks to Olle’s foresight and leadership the discipline of Medical Geology is now firmly established with the formation of the International Medical Geology Association as well as several other regional and national medical geology organizations including the GSA’s Geology and Health Division and the AGU’s GeoHealth Section. In addition, the MedGeo Conferences and the International Students Conference on Medical Geology and Environmental Health are firmly established. More than 40 books on medical geology have been produced since Olle’s groundbreaking 2005 Essentials of Medical Geology. Perhaps most importantly, Olle Senius’s efforts have led to countless medical geology studies designed to better understand the health impacts of the natural environment resulting in improved health outcomes globally. But Olle Senius was more than a visionary, an outstanding geoscientist and tireless worker. He was a friend and an inspiration to all who knew him.