News archive

Prinka Singh says she would encourage anyone who is interested in public health, disaster management, or humanitarian work to apply to the Public Health in Disasters master programme – KI’s only Erasmus Mundus Master programme:

On 21 May, a delegation from Karolinska Institutet joined partners in Viet Nam to mark the close of the Re-imagining TB Care (RTC) initiative and launch a new phase of collaborative tuberculosis (TB) research focused on the long-term social and economic impacts of TB.

The Department of Global Public Health is recruiting an Assistant Professor in Mental and Sexual Health to join our dynamic team. We are seeking an ambitious and creative early-career researcher with the potential to become a future academic leader.

Hien Vu is an experienced anesthesiologist who has spent nearly two decades working in one of Vietnam’s largest maternal hospitals. Now a PhD student at the Department of Global Public Health, she combines clinical expertise with research to improve neonatal respiratory care and help save the lives of newborns in low-resource settings worldwide.

Sweden, once one of the world’s most equal countries, now faces growing disparities in living conditions and health. Lower education or income is increasingly linked to higher risks of ill health and premature death. These issues and the connection to political decisions are examined in a recent special issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health Research (Socialmedicinsk tidskrift, SMT), featuring contributions from several researchers at the Department of Global Public Health.

Claudia Hanson at the Department of Global Public Health has been appointed Professor of Global Health Systems Research. Her transdisciplinary career allows her to combine a strong clinical background with experience in health system strengthening, and implementation science, with a particular focus on improving maternal, newborn and child health in low- and middle-income countries.

This question is currently being considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) and was also the topic of a panel discussion held by the Department of Global Public Health in May.

In late May, the Department of Global Public Health hosted an international visit within the EU-funded CURIOUS project, bringing together partners to exchange experiences and develop approaches to strengthening nursing education in Somalia.

Karolinska Institutet and MSD are celebrating ten years of strategic research collaboration focused on patient-centred, registry-based research. Over the past decade, the collaboration has resulted in more than 40 joint studies and, to date, around 30 scientific publications in areas such as vaccines, oncology, cardiometabolic diseases, immunology, and neurology.

Meet Maxim Kan, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Global Public Health, who was recently awarded an establishment grant from Forte of SEK 3,069,000. He will use the funding to investigate health inequalities among participants in Swedish needle and syringe programs.

Treating pregnancy-related iron deficiency anaemia with a one-time iron infusion provides better health outcomes and greater value than standard iron tablets, according to a new study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health. The findings may help guide healthcare decisions in low-resource settings.

Despite new diagnostic methods and expanded vaccination programmes, many children in Uganda continue to suffer from severe brain infections. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Africa. The researchers’ analysis highlights simple clinical signs that can help healthcare providers more quickly identify children at high risk of death.

The Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME) was established to serve as a space where medicine meets other fields of science. Now, the spotlight is on LIME’s interdisciplinary approach and unique expertise in a special issue of Socialmedicinskt Tidskrift (translates to Journal of Social Medicine).

How we engage our brains while sitting for long periods may affect cognitive health later in life. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, shows that adults who spend most of their sedentary time on mentally passive activities, such as watching TV, face a higher risk of developing dementia. By contrast, brain-stimulating sedentary activities, such as reading, appear to reduce the risk.

Since December 2025, three new Senior Lecturers have been appointed at the Department of Global Public Health. Here they share their goals and priorities.

People born outside the Nordic region use less mental healthcare than those born in Sweden, despite similar levels of poor health. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis by Joseph Junior Muwonge at Karolinska Institutet.

Göran Sterky, a renowned paediatrician, professor at Karolinska Institutet, and founder of IHCAR (International Health Care Research), passed away in November 2025 at the age of 95.

The Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) hosted their annual joint symposium in Stockholm on October 21–22, 2025, bringing together leading experts to strengthen high-level research collaboration.

What did we learn during the pandemic and how do we prepare for the next one? That was the theme when representatives from academia, healthcare, authorities, politics and media met during two intensive half-days at an event called Don't let the Lessons from the Pandemic go to Waste, to look back but above all to look ahead. Most agreed that we have learned a lot and now have greater crisis awareness, but also that there is still much to do if we want to tackle the next health crisis even better.

The Nordic Health Crises University Network aims, among other things, to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration between Nordic universities in the field of health crises. Over the next two years, it will be possible to apply for funding for a short-term exchange. The visits should focus on health crises, last between 2–6 weeks, and the total cost may not exceed SEK 30,000.

Welcome to the annual KI-CAMS joint symposia on Respiratory Medicine, Cardiovascular Research and Population Medicine.

Young people have a nuanced view of how their digital lives affect their mental health and want more support and involvement from the adults around them. This is shown in an international study published in The Journal of Adolescent Health by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with UNICEF.

The department of Global Public Health, has opened a position for an Assistant Professor in Public Health Sciences to join our dynamic team. We are seeking inspiring, curious, and creative candidates to begin their academic career with us in the field of Public Health Sciences.

Welcome to Anna Zettergren's defense of the thesis ”Tobacco Exposure and Health – From Fetal Life to Adulthood”.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in BMJ Global Health, shows that one in eight patients admitted to hospitals are critically ill, and most of these patients are cared for outside intensive care units. The researchers behind the study believe that simple but underutilised care could save many lives at a low cost.

One in eight patients in hospitals in Africa is critically ill, and one in five of the critically ill die within a week, according to a new study in The Lancet. The researchers behind the largest study of critical illness in Africa to date conclude that many of these lives could have been saved with access to cheap life-saving treatments.

After six successful years, the PROFORMA project, coordinated by Professor Eleni Aklillu, has come to an end. To celebrate all the achievements and the new PhDs within the project, a closure symposium was recently held in Stockholm, Sweden.

Six out of every ten people in the world lack access to safe medical oxygen which is contributing to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths each year and reducing the quality of life for millions more, according to a new report published in The Lancet Global Health.

As a junior researcher, you have the opportunity to apply for an Early Career Researcher (ECR) Scholarship in connection with the Swedish Suicide Research Conference taking place in May 2025.

Emma Eliasson at the National centre for suicide research and prevention (NASP) has been awarded an establishment grant of 3,744,000 SEK from Forte. This grant will finance a research project aimed at evaluating supportive follow-up calls —Uppföljningssamtal — as a method to reduce suicides in Sweden.

Call for scientific proposals for the Swedish Suicide Research Conference 2025 is open. The conference will take place on May 6–7 in Stockholm. The submission deadline is January 10.

Over the past decade, the proportion of residents in Stockholm County who identify as bisexual has nearly doubled. The younger generations are driving the trend and many of them have previously identified as heterosexual. This is according to a study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with the Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine within Region Stockholm in Sweden.

Professor Eleni Aklillu, GH-Pharma research group leader at the Department of Global Public Health, is leading the coordination of the EU MAV+ project in Rwanda. Sweden is part of the Team Europe initiative with a total budget of €10 million, managed by Sida.

The first annual consortium meeting of the BREEDIME project was recently held in Zanzibar, attracting around 40 participants. Over the two-day event, attendees discussed project milestones, achievements, challenges, and future plans.

Congratulations to the five researchers at GPH who have been awarded project grants from Forte and the Swedish Research Council in their 2024 call for Medicine and Health.

The Global Child Health and Sustainable Development Goals research group recently hosted a delegation of prominent guests from Shanghai, China, to exchange insights on health economics and childcare systems. Their visit aimed to deepen the understanding of the Swedish healthcare system, particularly in the context of children’s health.

A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), with contribution from Karolinska Institutet, has revealed that one in three cases of oral cancer globally is linked to smokeless tobacco and areca nut use.

Finding out who falls ill and why is essential to preventative action. Jette Möller conducts epidemiological research on our major health issues – cardiovascular disease, mental ill-health and injuries. Meet one of Karolinska Institutet's new professors who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 3 October.

The use of new nicotine products such as white snus and e-cigarettes has increased significantly among young people in Sweden. Marketed as tobacco-free, these products often contain high levels of nicotine and are flavoured in ways that attracts new target groups. But what do we really know about the risks?

Elena Rafetti joined the Department of Global Public Health and the PRIME group in October 2023. She has a rich experience from previous roles at the University of Cambridge, Uppsala University and PhD at KI. Elena's research focuses on the effects of climate extremes on population health. This addition to the Department brings a new perspective to the Global Public Health research.

Ki researcher Daniel Berglind received 6 million SEK from Formas for a project to reconstruct schoolyards with greenery for a better environment and more physically active children in urban areas.

The EU Horizon Changemaker project, led by Kristi Sidney Annerstedt, on sustainable adolescent nutrition in Kenya, Tanzania and Burkina Faso, successfully completed the first Consortium meeting.

The project "A Healthy School Start" is a family support program developed by the research group Community Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Department of Global Public Health, to offer an adapted approach for student health and teachers to provide support to families with children on healthy lifestyles. The program has been positively received by politicians in Region Stockholm, who have now allocated funds in the budget for further dissemination.

On Wednesday, March 6, the university management, President Annika Östman Wernerson, Vice President Martin Bergö and University Director Veronika Sundström visited the Department of Global Public Health, to gain a better insight into the department's activities. Key issues discussed included global awareness, the department's strengths and how dialogue can strengthen cooperation. In addition to the university management, the department's management team and Dean Carl Johan Sundberg participated.

On Saturday, November 18th, the KI Network Lifestyle4Health welcomed the public to an informative afternoon at Medicinska Föreningen at Karolinska Institutet. The afternoon was filled with lectures, health marker measurements, and practical "patient cases" that participants could analyse to suggest recommendations for lifestyle changes.

Karolinska Institutet and Professor Eleni Aklillu at the Department of Global Public Health leads a new initiative, that aims to enhance the oversight of medicines, medical devices, diagnostics, research ethics, and clinical trials in Tanzania and Rwanda.

Hi there Federico Triolo! You are soon to defend your thesis entitled "Depression and chronic diseases in old age: understanding their interplay for better health". What is the main focus?

According to UNICEF, approximately one in five young people suffer from mental health issues, which in turn often leads to risk-taking with alcohol, tobacco and drugs. In the long run, it can cause lifelong health impairments in adulthood. In a three-year project coordinated by Karolinska Institutet, a method used to improve young people’s wellbeing in India, Kenya, the U.S. and Colombia is being evaluated to see if it can work in other parts of the world.

Antibiotic residues in wastewater and wastewater treatment plants in regions around China and India risk contributing to antibiotic resistance, and the drinking water may pose a threat to human health, according to an analysis from Karolinska Institutet published in The Lancet Planetary Health. The researchers also determined the relative contribution of various sources of antibiotic contamination in waterways, such as hospitals, municipals, livestock, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Jenny Vinglid has been General Secretary of HOBS, a Swedish patient association for people living with overweight and obesity, since 2013. According to her, people with obesity are discriminated in the healthcare system.