Associate Professor and resident in Clinical Microbiology. Researches acute and long-term complications following infections using whole-population data. Founder of the Clinical Research Network
I am an Associate Professor and resident in Clinical Microbiology with a research focus on investigating both acute and long-term complications following infections by analyzing whole-population data. By developing and using the CRITICAL MICROBES database, I collect and harmonize detailed registry data from across Sweden, enabling us to map how infectious diseases affect public health, work capacity, and societal costs. My interdisciplinary work combines advanced statistical methods with clinical expertise to identify risk factors, optimize treatment strategies, and generate robust, evidence-based knowledge. This foundation is crucial for designing targeted preventive measures and improving the healthcare response to infectious diseases.
The CRITICAL MICROBES project aims to create a national database that integrates test results from clinical microbiology laboratories with outcomes of infectious diseases throughout Sweden. By gathering and harmonizing whole-population data—including socioeconomic, demographic, and clinical variables—the project strives to provide a comprehensive overview of how infections impact public health. The resulting insights will support enhanced surveillance, informed decision-making, and evidence-based public health interventions, ultimately reducing both the disease burden and associated societal costs.
The VIRAL RENAL project focuses on quantifying the severity of viral infections and assessing their impact on kidney complications. By developing and validating a new method to measure initial disease severity using national registry data, the project aims to elucidate how various viral infections—such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and Puumala virus—increase the risk of both acute and long-term kidney damage. This work combines advanced statistical analysis with clinical expertise to improve our understanding of virus-related kidney effects and to optimize treatment strategies.
The VIRAL BRAIN project investigates the link between acute viral infections and neuropsychiatric complications, such as psychosis, delirium, and encephalitis. By analyzing extensive national registry data with advanced statistical methods and machine learning, the project seeks to identify critical risk periods, vulnerable populations, and the underlying mechanisms driving these complications. The ultimate goal is to build a robust evidence base that can inform targeted preventive measures and enhance clinical strategies for managing post-viral neuropsychiatric outcomes.
Region Västerbotten, one of Sweden’s seven university healthcare regions, shares an expanded national responsibility for clinical research, education, and innovation together with Umeå University. To maintain high-quality clinical research and university status, it is essential to actively foster the conditions for competence development in these areas. A central aspect of this is ensuring that clinical researchers possess a solid knowledge base in areas such as regulations, grant applications, leadership, conflict management, and pedagogy—skills that are crucial for strengthening the connection between clinical practice and academia, thereby contributing to improved patient-centered care and innovation.
In the fall of 2023, I launched a clinical docent school within our own base unit, which quickly expanded to include several clinical disciplines and units. With support from department heads, the docent school has evolved into a platform for interdisciplinary networking and knowledge exchange.
The ALF committee has also recognized the rapid development and allocated budget for administrative support, which further broadens and anchors the docent school throughout the Northern Healthcare Region. This has led to the development of the Clinical Research Network in the Northern Healthcare Region, which, through regular lectures and seminars on key topics such as clinical research, grant applications, ethics, law, pedagogy, and leadership, aims to enhance the competence of clinical researchers.
The target group comprises PhD-qualified physicians engaged in clinical research, or PhD-qualified personnel from the following professional categories: nurses, molecular biologists, physiotherapists, biomedical analysts, hospital physicists, or other professions with direct/indirect patient contact through regional service, who are conducting ongoing clinical research. To facilitate clinical researchers, it is also beneficial that managerial personnel have knowledge of research-related issues; therefore, department heads, unit managers, medical directors, operations managers, and similar roles are welcome.