News archive

Swedish Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard and Minister for Education Mats Persson visited Karolinska Institutet on 8 April to present a forthcoming investigation about the opportunities for foreign citizens to work and study in Sweden. KI welcomes the investigation, whose mission is in line with previously expressed views by the university, however KI emphasizes that changes are urgent.

Hi María Latorre Leal, doctoral student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On April 26 you will defend your thesis "The role of oxysterols in neurodegeneration : implications for cognitive function, maternal effects, and sex-specific differences". What is the main focus of the thesis?

With the progress in treatment for most cancer types, there is a growing interest to understand the overall impact of a cancer diagnosis throughout the remaining lifespan. In addition to conventional survival probabilities, estimating Life Expectancy following cancer diagnosis and Loss in Life Expectancy for cancer patients in comparison to if they did not have cancer provides valuable insights into the societal burden of cancer.

Hi Theofanis Tsevis, doctoral student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On February 23 you will defend your thesis ”Alcohol consumption and cognition”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young persons in Sweden and globally. The last decades have seen an increasing proportion of the youth population engaging in university level education. The university period usually coincides with other important life events such as moving away from home. Early adulthood is furthermore a period when severe mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, may become symptomatic.

Hi Patrik Karlsson, doctoral student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On February 9 you will defend your thesis "Enhanced mobilisation and physical rehabilitation after abdominal cancer surgery : feasibility, effects, and experiences". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Asthma and cystic fibrosis are diseases which affect the lungs of children and adults. Previous research has shown that genetic and environmental factors during pregnancy and early childhood can contribute to the way children and young adults are affected by these lung diseases.

Beyond surviving after an injury comes living. To what extent a person is able to return to the life and independence previously enjoyed is an important aspect of recovery and rehabilitation is often a crucial factor in that. Nonetheless, it is a factor often overlooked in humanitarian settings and it is an area where more research is needed. Bérangère Gohy’s PhD thesis looks beyond survival, to how recovery is measured and what the patients’ road to regained independence looks like.

Hi Mona-Lisa Malarte, doctoral student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. Om January 26 you will defend your thesis ”Tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias : translational approach from in vitro autoradiography to in vivo PET imaging”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

Hi Marianne Reimers Wessberg, doctoral student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On February 2 you will defend your thesis "Aspects on heart failure and drug treatment in geriatric patients". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Hi Charlotta Elleby, doctoral student at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care. On February 1 you will defend your thesis "Identifying individuals at risk of fragility fractures in a dental setting". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 10% of adults worldwide. Mental health is an important yet under-recognized issue in patients with CKD. Depression is common and related to poor prognosis in CKD patients, but previous research has primarily focused on dialysis patients, leading to an insufficient understanding of depression in earlier stages of CKD.

Hi John Ressman, doctoral student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On January 26 you will defend your thesis "The Single Leg Squat in clinical testing. Aspects of reliability, validity, and associated factors". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common mental disorder, affecting around 20% of the population worldwide. Several causes that can lead to MDD, and patients display a wide range of symptoms as well as responses to treatments. This diversity makes it challenging to pinpoint the root causes, understand the underlying mechanisms, and tailor treatments effectively. Suicide is a pressing public health concern, impacting not only individuals living with MDD but also the general population.

Hi Emelie Mälstam, doctoral student at the Division of Occupational Therapy. On December 8 you will defend your thesis "Make My Day – Exploring engaging occupations in stroke prevention and promotion of health". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Eating disorders are debilitating conditions characterized by dysregulated eating and/or weight-control behaviors leading to significant impairment of psychosocial functioning and/or physical health. Both environmental factors and variation in multiple genetic variants influence eating disorder etiology and maintenance.

Hi Carrie Tran, doctoral student at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care. On December 6 you will defend your thesis "Students' perceptions of interprofessional learning and virtual patients in primary healthcare". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Frailty is an age-related state of physiological decline and is a strong predictor of disability and mortality. Researchers are trying to improve our understanding of the biology of frailty and to find ways of identifying frail older adults with the aim to improve individualized management of frailty.

A new thesis from Karolinska Institutet advocates end-of-life care that prioritizes the highest possible quality of life, avoids unnecessary or preventable risks and respects patient wishes.

In recent years, there have been rapid advancements in the field of computational pathology, which refers to the application of computational methods in pathology workflows. Traditional pathology involves the study of diseases by examining tissues, organs, and bodily fluids. In computational pathology, digital pathology images are analyzed using computer algorithms to extract meaningful information.

Hi Lisa Herulf Scholander, doctoral student at the Division of Occupational Therapy. On November 10 you will defend your thesis ”Narrative relations: resources for meaning-making and person-centred practices in geriatric care”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

A new thesis from Karolinska Institutet focuses on cancer prevention by investigating the factors and outcomes associated with false-positive mammography recalls, a fairly common event where women are called back for additional tests after an initial screening, but no cancer is detected during the follow-up. A second aim of the thesis was to further our understanding of the association between breast cancer risk factors in women and cancer risk among their relatives, particularly sisters.

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?

Hi there Xin Xia! You are about to defend your thesis entitled “Cardiovascular Health, Orthostatic Hypotension, and Cognitive Aging”. Could you tell us a little bit more?

Hi Michael Axenhus, PhD student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On October 20 you will defend your thesis ”Characterization of proteins involved in disease progression in Alzheimer disease”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

The Swedish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology annually awards the best doctoral thesis of the year. 2023 the award goes to Ritah Bakesiima, who completed her dissertation at the Department of Women's and Children's Health last year. Her research studies the barriers to contraception among adolescents, and enlightens the importance of peer counselling in increasing contraceptive uptake.

Childhood-onset type 1 diabetes (onset <age 18) and neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability, globally represent substantial health challenges. The conditions also pose substantial challenges to the individuals, their families, and healthcare systems.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, often with onset during childhood, that requires lifelong insulin therapy due to the loss of pancreatic beta-cells.

Hi Anders Rydström, PhD student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On September 8 you will defend your thesis ”Mental stimulation and multimodal trials to prevent cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

It is quite common that individuals who have one psychiatric condition, also qualify for other psychiatric conditions. This observation questions the conventional belief that different diagnoses are independent, and instead implies the possibility of a set of factors that increases risks for several types of mental health problems.

Hi there Yuanjing Li, PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Aging Research Center (ARC)! You are about to defend your thesis entitled “Cardiovascular health and brain aging: a population-based MRI study". Could you tell us a little bit more about it?

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of cancer that occurs in the nasopharynx, which is located behind the nose and above the back of the throat. NPC has a geographically skewed distribution worldwide, with high incidence rates in East and Southeast Asia. NPC is difficult to detect early, and treatment usually involves radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of the two.

Hi there Jing Wu! You are about to defend your thesis entitled “Ambient Air Pollution and Transportation Noise: How They Affect Mental Health in Older Adults”. Could you tell us a little bit more about it?

Hi Nathalie Frisendahl, PhD student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On June 16 you will defend your thesis ”Injurious falls in older adults: early identification of individuals at risk of falls—from observational studies to implementation”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

Hi Jakob Norgren, PhD student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On June 12 you will defend your thesis ”The impact of macronutritional composition and ketosis on cognitive health : from normal aging to Alzheimer’s disease”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

Juliet Mwanga-Amumpaire is a paediatrician and Associate Professor of paediatrics at Mbarara University with over ten years of experience conducting clinical research. She is currently the director of Epicentre Mbarara Research Centre run by Médecins Sans Frontières that conducts health related research aiming to guide policy for stakeholders in health. She recently pursued her PhD where she studied the quality of care at private health facilities in Uganda.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the likelihood of surviving the disease is higher if the cancer is detected early and the tumour is relatively small and not very aggressive.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women and many women are being treated to prevent the cancer from returning, for example with adjuvant hormone therapy. This therapy is prescribed as a once-a-day pill for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients (around 80% of all cases) for a duration of at least five years.

Predictions are becoming more and more a part of our lives, and they are becoming increasingly useful in medical science as the science evolves. Increased understanding of disease and its treatments allows us to use predictions based on predictive biomarker signatures to optimize treatment outcomes for increasingly specific subject groups.

In a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet, the focus was on the use of multiomics data in the discovery of disease signatures.

Competing risks and multi-state models allow us to study complex disease settings and answer composite research questions and should be used more widely in epidemiology.

The interplay between sex steroid hormones, psychiatric- and neurodevelopmental disorders and adverse behavioral outcomes is in focus in a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet.

Frailty can be defined as an aging-related syndrome of physiological decline, characterized by marked vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. It is becoming an important public health concern as the aging population increases.

Hi Yang Gao, PhD student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On February 24 you will defend your thesis "Alzheimer Disease: Subcellular Aβ mechanisms and treatment strategies", what is the main focus of the thesis?

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Symptoms of ADHD often persist into adulthood and psychiatric comorbidities as well as adverse somatic outcomes can emerge across the lifespan.

Prostate cancer is a major global health concern and is the most common cancer-related cause of death in Sweden. Prostate cancer screening using PSA reduces prostate cancer mortality but also leads to significant overdiagnosis and overtreatment of low-risk cancers. The pathological evaluation of prostate biopsies determines the therapeutic course of treatment for prostate cancer patients.

Hi Sandra af Winklerfelt Hammarberg, PhD student at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care. On February 17 you will defend your thesis "Aspects of common mental disorders in primary care" what is the main focus of the thesis?

Hi Gabriella Bernhoff, Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care. On February 3 you will defend your licentiate thesis "On the clinical assessment of persistent fatigue and pain", what is the main focus of the thesis?

Hi Andreas Wallin, PhD student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On January 27 you will defend your thesis "Balance Control in People with Multiple Sclerosis: Mechanisms, Experiences, Design and Feasibility of an Exercise Trial", what is the main focus of the thesis?

Prostate cancer constitutes an essential public health issue, as it is a major cause of male deaths. Early detection through an organised testing program with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and systematic biopsy is not in place in most countries due to the risk of over-diagnosis and over-treatment of low-risk cancers. Now there are two proposed approaches to tackle this problem; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the serum-based reflex test “Stockholm3”.