New head of IMM

How does it feel to take over as the new head of IMM?

I am happy and honored to have received the trust as head of IMM. I look forward to developing the research, education and applied work at IMM together with my colleagues.

IMM is an institution at KI, but also a national expert body in environmental medicine. Can you briefly explain what that means?

IMM have an extensive national mission which means that we carry out qualified risk assessments, participate in national and international expert groups, answer referrals and questions from authorities, produce knowledge base and conduct research and education relevant to environmental medicine. We cover a wide area of ​​the environment's impact on health, with a focus on chemical and physical factors as well as lifestyle.

What is your own research focus?

My research aims to increase knowledge about how environmental and nutritional factors influence health during the first decades of life, in particular development of asthma and allergies. The overall aim is to identify modifiable risk factors and contribute to preventive efforts in patients with asthma and allergies as well as in the general population. The majority of the research is conducted within the birth cohort BAMSE for which I am one of the project leaders.

Five selected publications in the last 5 years

Predictors of electronic cigarette use and its association with respiratory health and obesity in young adulthood in Sweden; findings from the population-based birth cohort BAMSE.
Sompa SI, Zettergren A, Ekström S, Upadhyay S, Ganguly K, Georgelis A, Ljungman P, Pershagen G, Kull I, Melén E, Palmberg L, Bergström A
Environ Res 2022 May;208():112760

Dietary intake and plasma concentrations of PUFAs in childhood and adolescence in relation to asthma and lung function up to adulthood.
Ekström S, Sdona E, Klevebro S, Hallberg J, Georgelis A, Kull I, Melén E, Risérus U, Bergström A
Am J Clin Nutr 2022 Mar;115(3):886-896

Fruit, vegetable and dietary antioxidant intake in school age, respiratory health up to young adulthood.
Sdona E, Ekström S, Andersson N, Hallberg J, Rautiainen S, Håkansson N, Wolk A, Kull I, Melén E, Bergström A
Clin Exp Allergy 2022 Jan;52(1):104-114

Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy and Early Childhood and Development of Asthma and Rhinoconjunctivitis - a MeDALL Project.
Thacher JD, Gehring U, Gruzieva O, Standl M, Pershagen G, Bauer CP, Berdel D, Keller T, Koletzko S, Koppelman GH, Kull I, Lau S, Lehmann I, Maier D, Schikowski T, Wahn U, Wijga AH, Heinrich J, Bousquet J, Anto JM, von Berg A, Melén E, Smit HA, Keil T, Bergström A
Environ Health Perspect 2018 Apr;126(4):047005

Body mass index status and peripheral airway obstruction in school-age children: a population-based cohort study.
Ekström S, Hallberg J, Kull I, Protudjer JLP, Thunqvist P, Bottai M, Gustafsson PM, Bergström A, Melén E
Thorax 2018 Jun;73(6):538-545