
Centre for Research on Health Care in Disasters
We are an interdisciplinary research team in global disaster medicine. Our main activities are research, education, policy advice and external monitoring, and field work in disasters. Our aim is to contribute to strengthening and improving Swedish and international health care response in the event of major disasters. We are a WHO Collaborating Centre and collaborate with the Centre for Health Crises at KI. We are also a research centre for the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare.

Who are we and what is global disaster medicine?
Our main activities

Research
A disaster is defined by a lack of resources - a lack of staff, lack of skill, lack of material and lack of time. Our research concerns the challenge of how we, despite the lack of resources, can provide optimal health services. Our team members conduct research in projects about moral stress, needs assessment, management of conflict injuries, and Emergency Medical Teams.

Education
Are you interested in learning more about global disaster medicine? We teach a variety of different courses and an Erasmus Mundus Master programme. We also offer tailor-made courses for organisations and public authorities, and we have developed the simulation tools AnTriEx (Analogue Triage Exercise) and ViTriEx (Virtual Triage Exercise).

Policy advice & expertise
Thanks to our team's extensive experience in both field work and research in disaster medicine, we are well-placed to conduct external monitoring and offer expert advice and evaluations on the subject. We are one of the National Board for Health and Welfare's research centre (kunskapscentrum) and as such publish external monitoring reports three times a year, as well as a yearly research overview and global analysis.

Field work in disasters
Our team shares a strong dedication to work in disaster-stricken areas around the world. We firmly believe that in order to conduct the best research, provide the best education, and conduct the best analysis for our partners it is important to never loose our connection to practical work in the field of disaster medicine. Consequently, our team members are, and have been, involved in disaster relief work in several places around the work.
Meet the researchers

Johan von Schreeb

Martina Gustavsson

Anneli Eriksson

Märit Halmin

Nieves Amat Camacho

Anderas Älgå

Maximilian Nerlander

Louis Riddez
Louis Riddez is docent and chief physician at the Karolinska University Hospital, specialising in trauma surgery. He advises our centre on matters related to education in prioritisation and decision-making.

Therese Djärv
News and events
To work in crisis and disasters - a podcast interview
The director Centre for Research on Health Care in Disaster, professor Johan von Schreeb, is one of the guests on the podcast Folk och Försvar (in Swedish, translation: People and Defense) in an episode all about crises and disasters; how to prepare, respond, manage and evaluate, both when it occurs at home and abroad.