Nele Brusselaers

Nele Brusselaers

Researcher | Docent
Telephone: +46852482527
Visiting address: Solnavägen 9, Biomedicum A8, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C1 Mikrobiologi, tumör- och cellbiologi, C1 MTC Engstrand/CTMR Clinical Epidemiologi, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • Associate professor of clinical epidemiology, team leader at the Centre of
    Translational Microbiome Research.
    I am an Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology (Docent) and Senior
    Researcher at Karolinska Institutet. As team leader of the Epidemiology team
    at the Centre for Translational Microbiome Research, Karolinska Insitutet, I
    also coordinate the Oncobiome (cancer and microbiome) projects in the centre.
    I am also Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Global Health Institute
    at Antwerp University in Belgium.
    Although I have a broad interest and experience in different clinical topics
  • my main focus is to investigate the long-term effects of commonly prescribed
    drugs on female health, cancer and diseases of the gastro-intestinal tract,
    through potential drug-mediated alterations of the microbiome.
    I also teach and supervise students from undergraduate to doctoral level.
    I am also a member of the steering board of SFO epidemiology and the Nordic
    Research School in Registry Based research (NordForsk).
    Graduated PhD students:
    As main supervisor:
    - Eva Doorakkers (Karolinska Institutet, 2019)
    - Sam Van Slycke (Ghent University, 2020)
    - Robin Willaert (Ghent Universtiy, 2021)
    - Johanna Simin (Karolinska Institutet, 2021)
    As co-supervisor:
    - John Maret.Ouda (Karolinska Institutet, 2018)
    - Laurent Thierens (Ghent University, 2020)
    Awarded research funding as prinicipal investigator:
    * SFO: Strategic Funding in Epidemiology (Karolinska Institutet): Young
    Scholar Grant (2014)
    (http://ki.se/en/research/the-strategic-research-area-in-epidemiology-sfoepi)
    [1]
    * Julin funding (2014)
    * Bengt Ihres Fond (Svenska Läkaresällskapet) (2014, 2017, 2018)
    * KI fonder (2014-2019)
    * Svenska Läkaresällskapet (2015, 2018)
    * KID funding: Karolinska Insitutet delfinansiering för nya doktorander
    (2015)
    * Shizu Matsurais foundation (2017)
    * Gastroenterolgisk forskningsfond (2017, 2018)
    * VR (2020)
    Awarded research funding as co-applicant
    * KID funding: Karolinska Insitutet delfinansiering för nya doktorander
    (2014)
    * SIMSAM (Swedish Initiative for Research on Microdata in the Social and
    Medical Sciences) (2014-2018)
    * Alzheimerfonden (2018)
    * KI Stifeltsen (2018)
    * Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Technolica (CONICYT)
    (2018)
    * Kronprinsessan Lovisas Förening För Barnasjukvård /Stifelsen Axel
    Tielmans (2019)
    * ALF (2020)
    Awards:
    * Best European Abstract - European Burn Association (EBA- 2009)
  • * Investigators award at the Congress of the Belgian Society of Internal
    Medicine (2010)
  • * Best abstract - European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM –
    2010)
  • * Best abstract/4th best oral presentation (EBA - 2011).
    * Selected as representative from KI to attend the Global Young Scientist
    Summit in Singapore (2014)
    * Master in Medicine (MD), Ghent University (Belgium), 2008.
    * PhD in Medical Sciences, Thesis: "Severe burn injury: Some determinants of
    epidemiological and surgical outcomes, Ghent University, Belgium, 2010.
    * Master in Hospital Hygiene and Infection Control, Ghent University
    (Belgium), 2010.
    * Master in Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
    (United Kingdom), 2015.
    * Docent in Clinical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, 2015.
    * First post-doc: Dept of Internal medicine and Infectious diseases, Ghent
    University, Belgium (2010-2012)
    * Second post-doc: Upper-gastrointestinal surgery, Dept of Molecular
    medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Insitutet (2012-2016)
    [1] http://ki.se/en/research/the-strategic-research-area-in-epidemiology-sfoepi

Research

  • I am the principal investigator of 5 large cohorts:
    - Chemoprevention of cancer cohort (aim: to assess the impact of commonly
    prescribed drugs on the development of cancer)
    - The Swedish Maternal Microbiome (SweMaMi) project (aim: to assess how the
    microbiome affects pregnancy outcomes and the health of the offspring)
    www.swemami.se
    - Medication and the Maternal Microbiome (MediMami) project (aim: to assess
    the impact of commonly prescribed drugs during pregnancy, through potential
    microbiome alterations)
    - PCOS (Polycystic Ovary syndrome) project (aim: to assess the effects on
    health in the offspring of mothers with PCOS)
    - CDI project: /Clostridioides difficile/ infection [CDI], recurrence and
    mortality in Sweden: risk profiles, prescription drugs and burden.

Teaching

  • Course organiser:
    - How to conduct systematic reviews and meta-analyses (KI PhD course 2790),
    2014-2020
    - Study design in clinical research (KI PhD course 1794), 2013-2015
    Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at Karolinska Institutet, Antwerp
    University and Ghent University: including study design, systematic reviews
    and meta-analyses, pharmaco-epidemiology, cancer epidemiology,
    microbiome-epidemiology and other basic and advanced topics within
    epidemiology and clinical research.

Articles

All other publications

Employments

  • Researcher, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 2020-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2015

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