Emma Swärdh
About me
I am a physiotherapist and work as an assistant senior lecturer at the Division of Physiotherapy. My expertise is largely in the areas of health promotion, health education and behavioral medicine but I also have a strong commitment to sustainable development including planetary health and sustainable health care. I am a course ledare in courses at the Physiotherapy program and teach in all its semesters.
I have an assignment as an environmental- and sustainability representative at NVS, and I am a member of the Council for Environment and Sustainable Development at KI. I also support the Planetary Health Alliance and the Environmental Physiotherapy Association. I have been active in the Swedish Association of Physiotherapists, as a boardmember of the workinggroups for Pain and for Rheumatology.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of lecturing, holding workshops and creating educational materials for both the public, patient associations, the pharmaceutical industry and media companies. I thus have good experience of working with Karolinska's third workarea, and can highlight and disseminate research results and evidence, in a popular science and inspiring way.
During the years 2015-2022 I worked in an interprofessional and patient-inclusive project "LiR - Levnadsvanor inom reumatologi" funded by the National Board of Health and Welfare. The project group developed a working model, the LiR model. The model provides a common knowledge base for different health professionals on the lifestyle habits of physical activity, diet, alcohol and tobacco, creates a simple workflow for employees in rheumatology and clarifies the patient's path to support in the change process.
In-depth skills development:
Climate psychology
Environmental psychology and design
Behavioral change for sustainability
Earth's climate and climate change
Social sustainability from a public health perspective
Educating for sustainable development
Contributing to sustainable development through teaching
Health promotion
Health education
Behavioral medicine methods in physiotherapy
Basic higher education pedagogy
Teaching in a glocal universityHigher Education Didactics in Sustainability (ongoing)
FAL - Future Academic Leaders (onging)
Academic honours, awards and prizes
2019 Ingrid Odéns pris för forskning inom fysioterapi
2013 Reumatikerförbundets vårdforskningspris
2009 ARHP Graduate Student Award (American College of Rheumatology)
Research
My research area currently focuses on education for sustainable development in Physiotherapy where I am the research leader in the project ESD-P Sweden. Previous research projects have included physical activity and behavior change in patients with rheumatic diseases.
Teaching
I have a strong commitment to teaching, learning and pedagogy, have worked with teaching in about 20 different courses at basic and advanced level since 2007, and have developed teaching &
- learning as well as participated in pedagogical assignments for many years. Most of my teaching at the basic level has been within the physiotherapy program at KI semesters 1-6, but also within other courses at KI and outside KI. The advanced courses I have taught have been freestanding courses, courses within master programs and commissioned courses at KI. I have also planned and taught a MOOC course at KI.
I have been the course leader for courses at the basic level between 2014-2023, and for courses at the advanced level between 2012-2016, KI.
2023- Education Committee CNS, KI
2022- Education Counsil, Physiotherapy programme, KI
2015-2017 Education Counsil, Physiotherapy programme, KI
2015-2016 Education Committee NVS, KI
Articles
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Article: PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE. 2024;40(2):327-337
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Journal article: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE. 2023;12(23):7348
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Article: PHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL. 2023;28(4):e2014
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Article: PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE. 2022;38(11):1683-1692
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Article: PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE. 2021;37(9):963-972
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Article: RMD OPEN. 2021;7(2):e001635
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Article: PHYSICAL THERAPY. 2020;100(12):2144-2153
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Article: DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION. 2015;37(9):757-762
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Article: MUSCULOSKELETAL CARE. 2011;9(2):75-85
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Article: DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION. 2010;32(10):816-825
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Article: DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION. 2009;31(6):458-465
All other publications
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Conference publication: ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES. 2023;82:686.2-68687
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Conference publication: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY. 2023;52:30-31
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Conference publication: ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES. 2019;78:1063
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Conference publication: ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES. 2018;77:1869
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Conference publication: ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES. 2017;76:1523
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Review: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE. 2016;50(6):362-367
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Review: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2015;112:DP7X
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Thesis / dissertation: 2013
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Conference publication: ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY. 2013;65:S352
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Published conference paper: PHYSICAL THERAPY. 2008;88(9):1049-1060
Employments
- Assistant Senior Lecturer, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-
Degrees and Education
- Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2013
- Master Of Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet, 2006
- Bachelor Of Science In Physiotherapy, Karolinska Institutet, 2002
- Bachelor Of Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet, 2002