We are an interdisciplinary research group in global disaster medicine. Our work involves research, teaching, policy advice, 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 a research centre for the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. We also collaborate frequently with the Centre for Health Crises at KI.
Photo: Gettyimages.A disaster is defined by a lack of resources: 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' research include projects projects about needs assessment, Emergency Medical Teams, moral stress, systems thinking in health systems, health system resilience and more.
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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).
Photo: Gerd Altmann, PixabayBased on our team's extensive experience in both field work and research in disaster medicine, we conduct analyses, monitoring and offer expert advice and evaluations in Sweden and internationally. We are one of the National Board for Health and Welfare's research centres (kunskapscentrum) and publish external monitoring reports, research overviews and analyses. Moreover, we are part of the IPA Care project,, and we collaborate with the WHO on EMTs and as a Collaborating Centre.
At Global Disaster Medicine - Health Needs and Response we conduct a wide range of research in the field of disaster medicine. Our researchers frequently draw on their experience of field work in disaster-stricken areas in their academic work. We also teach several courses and an Erasmus Mundus Master programme.
In addition to our research and teaching, we also conduct analyses, compile reports and evaluations on needs assessments in disasters, improved disaster preparedness, evaluations of international humanitarian health relief and national disaster response, and much more. Furthermore, we provide advice and analysis on health care response related topics involving decision-making following disasters.
Centre for Health Crises
We work closely with the Centre for Health Crises, which was established at Karolinska Institutet in the summer 2021, not least in the development of courses and exercises. The Centre for Health Crises is an interdisciplinary centre, with a broad focus on health crisis management and preparedness in a Swedish context. The Centre catalyses research, but unlike our research group, does not conduct its own research. Our research group leader, professor Johan von Schreeb, is also the director of the Centre for Health Crises.
Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Our collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières goes back a long time. Johan von Schreeb co-founded the Swedish section of the organisation in 1993. He has also been the chairperson of the section and worked in several international missions over the years. Our research specialist, Anneli Eriksson, has also been the chairperson of the Swedish section. Several of our group members, such as Märit Halmin and Martina Gustavsson have worked on missions with MSF, and still do so regularly. We also co-operate with MSF on education, in particular the course Health Assistance in Humanitarian Crisis. Several of our PhD students have conducted their sub-studies on the ground in humanitarian projects, in collaboration with MSF.
Swedish National Council in Disaster Medicine - is a network that we co-founded, together with other university-affiliated experts at six Swedish universities. The network brings together people from the seven Swedish research centres in disaster medicine, which are funded by the National Board of Health and Welfare. The purpose of the network is to share research results and experiences, and to strengthen national collaboration within disaster medicine.
World Health Organization - we have been a WHO Collaborating Centre since 2017 and are currently in the process of extending that collaboration. We also collaborate with the WHO Europe Office in our role in the IPA Care project, we research and advise on the WHO EMT initiative, and one of our affiliates works at the WHO Regional Centre for Health Emergencies in Amman, Jordan.
University of Piemonte (CRIMEDIN) – we collaborate on matters related to the EMT initiative and other joint research and policy projects.
University of Nicosia – we run the Erasmus Mundus Master's programme Public health in disasters together.
University of Oviedo – we run the Erasmus Mundus Master's programme Public health in disasters together.
UK-Med - we have ongoing research collaborations on the impact of conflict on health and access to care, some of which are carried out partly on the ground in UK-MED projects in conflict and disaster areas. In addition, we second expertise to UK-MED projects.
Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies
Systems Thinking Accelerator (SYSTAC) network
Global Disaster Medicine - Health Needs and Response was founded in 2002 (until October 2023 we were called The Centre for Research on Health Care in Disasters and were part of the research group Health Systems and Policy).
We have always been a part of the Department of Global Public Health (when we were founded it was called the Department of Public Health Sciences) at Karolinska Institutet. The department is an international and interdisciplinary environment, home to a copious amount of research on many aspects of global public health.
Our research group leader Johan von Schreeb; professor of disaster medicine at Karolinska Institutet, who has over 25 years of experience working in disaster areas, has lead the group since its foundation. His PhD was supervised by the renowned professor of international health at Karolinska Institutet, Hans Rosling.
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Global Public Health, floor 3, the Widerströmska building, Tomtebodavägen 18, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Global Public Health, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
