Michael Wells new research group leader at KBH
Michael Wells has been appointed research group leader at the Division of Neonatology, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health as of 1 June. His main research interests lie in intervention and implementation research with a focus on social and family policy outcomes. His work revolves around Swedish reproduction and child health, especially the support given to parents, with a focus on fathers of infants.
Michael Wells has a background in developmental psychology and holds a PhD in Women's and Children's Health. His journey at KI began in 2016 as a postdoc in global public health.
After being invited as a guest lecturer at the midwifery programme and teaching courses within the same programme, he was offered a full-time position as an assistant senior lecturer at the Department of Women's and Children's Health (KBH).
Michael's research focuses on parental mental health, including aspects such as depressive symptoms, anxiety, fear of childbirth, and disruptions in the parent-infant relationship. He also investigates how clinics and interventions can help strengthen parents' mental health from pregnancy to early childhood.
Michael Wells played a key role in introducing a new clinical visit for fathers and non-birthing parents at child health centres when infants are 3-5 months old.
In addition to his work in parental health, Michael is committed to quality improvement within the MIDWIZE program. Through collaboration with several sub-Saharan African countries, he strives to improve maternal and newborn health through evidence-based methods.
This has led to positive results, among them reduced unnecessary episiotomies, clips to widen the birth canal, as well as improved APGAR scores for newborns.
In the future, Michael hopes to contribute to midwifery education, possibly by developing new independent courses and doctoral programs. He has a strong commitment to supporting student learning and improving clinical practice, which ultimately benefits the health sector and the population both in Sweden and globally.