His Majesty the King of Norway has appointed Acem’s founder Dr. Are Holen as Officer of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for his services to society.

Are Holen Order of St Olav
Dr. Holen is professor and former vice dean of the medical faculty at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, where he is currently doing research in the fields of stress psychiatry, medical education and group processes. He has also taught and done research at Stanford University, the University of California San Francisco, and the University of North Dakota. He was called in as an expert after the terror incident in Norway on 22 July 2011, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004, and the attack on World Trade Center 11 September 2001. Dr. Holen has been a central driving force behind the Acem International School of Meditation since its inception in 1966.