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Barbro Westerholm

1933 – 2023

Swedish politician

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About Barbro Westerholm

Lived 1933 – 2023 (aged 89). Barbro Westerholm was a Swedish politician, physician and researcher.

Barbro Westerholm (16 June 1933 – 13 March 2023) was a Swedish politician of the Liberals. She was member of parliament (Riksdag) from 1988 to 1999 and again from 2006 to 2022. She was the chair of the Liberal women in 1988–1997.

From the mid-1960s Westerholm was an early pioneer in the field of pharmacovigilance, also working on the early stages of the WHO Drug Dictionary and the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. In 1979 as general director of the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, she had homosexuality dropped from the list of mental health diseases.

Westerholm was a critic of ageism and advocated for the measurement and publicizing of data on the economic value of volunteer work, and in particular the contributions of older people. In 2009 she was awarded the Nordic Public Health Prize for her work in fighting discrimination against the elderly. She was awarded the Illis quorum by the government of Sweden in 2003.

Westerholm died on 13 March 2023, at the age of 89.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Positions held
Member of the Swedish Riksdag, Member of the Committee on Health and Welfare, Member of the Committee on Education, Member of the Committee on Social Insurance
Awards
Ingemar Hedenius Prize

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Barbro Westerholm's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Barbro Westerholm?

Swedish politician

When was Barbro Westerholm born?

Barbro Westerholm was born on 16 June 1933 in Hedvig Eleonora parish.

When did Barbro Westerholm die?

Barbro Westerholm died on 13 March 2023 in Stockholms Engelbrekt.

What was Barbro Westerholm's occupation?

Barbro Westerholm was a politician, physician and researcher.

What nationality was Barbro Westerholm?

Barbro Westerholm was Swedish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Barbro Westerholm

· Wikidata: Q4859755

· DBpedia: Barbro Westerholm

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Barbro Westerholm. https://biography.guide/barbro-westerholm/

MLA: "Barbro Westerholm." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/barbro-westerholm/.

Chicago: "Barbro Westerholm." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/barbro-westerholm/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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