Meet the steering committee

The Network for Movement and Physical Function steering committee is made up by representatives from nine different departments at Karolinska Institutet.

Wim Grooten, Lucian Bezuidenhout, Erika Franzén, NVS. Photo: Sara Hessling/Privat/Ulf Sirborn.

Wim Grooten, senior lecturer, physical therapist, movement scientist
Wim Grooten works as an associate professor (docent) at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Physiotherapy, and leads a research group with focus on translational research on musculoskeletal disorders from a biopsychosocial perspective. Wim's research focus is on biomechanics, ergonomics, and physical therapy with a special interest in sedentary behavior and musculoskeletal disorders. His unique competence lies in laboratory methods for measuring movements and systematic reviews.

Lucian Bezuidenhout, assistant professor
Lucian Bezuidenhout is a physics PhD graduate with a vast variety of research interests comprising renewable energy, seismology, physical activity, and neuroimaging. Lucian's research focuses on the understanding of physical activity behavior in people with neurological diseases by analyzing data obtained from activity monitors. Additionally, he is investigating the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and is developing and testing a new conceptual framework to portray physical activity which integrates objective assessed physical activity using accelerometry, with the contextual setting where the activity is performed using global positioning systems (GPS) and environmental layers.

Erika Franzén, professor, physical therapist
Erika Franzén is a professor in physiotherapy at Karolinska Institutet with a combined position at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. She leads a research group with focus on translational research from exploring neuronal mechanisms to clinical interventions/implementation in the field of neurological and geriatric rehabilitation. She also works as vice-chair of the Committee for Doctoral Education and acting head of the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society as well as scientific director for the uMOVE core facility. Erika's research focus is on balance (postural control) and motor control with a special interest in the elderly and individuals with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, cerebellar ataxia, and stroke. Her unique competence lies in both clinical and laboratory methods for measuring postural control and movement.

Department of Women's and Children's Health

Ola Nilsson, professor
Ferdinand von Walden, associate professor

Department of Clinical Neuroscience

Filip Gedin, researcher

Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology

Farhad Abtahi, senior research infrastructure specialist

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology

Johanna Lanner, senior lecturer
Jessica Norrbom, senior lecturer

Institute of Environmental Medicine

Mikael Forsman, professor
Carl Lind, assistant professor
Liyun Yang, researcher

Department of Laboratory Medicine

Sara Windahl, Assistant senior Lecturer, associate professor in experimental endocrinology
The current focus of Sara’s research is on understanding the mechanisms for the bone strengthening effects of mechanical loading on bone, and the importance of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP/Acp5) for bone growth and maintenance. Her research has a pre-clinical focus, and the methods used range from in vivo studies in mice (axial loading of the tibia, gonadectomy etc.), to ex vivo analysis of bone, and cell-based analyses. She is one of few researchers in the world with expertise in in vivo axial loading of the mouse tibia.

Maria Westerståhl, senior lecturer, docent in physiology, nutritionist
Maria teaches physiology and nutrition in various courses and programmes at KI. She is an elected member of the KI Pedagogical Academy. Her research focuses on changes in physical capacity over the life course and the health effects of lifestyle. She is responsible for a longitudinal study investigating life course changes and predictors of physical fitness and physical activity from adolescence to middle age: Swedish longitudinal Physical Activity and Fitness study. This study uses methods to assess physical capacity (e.g. oxygen uptake, muscle strength), physical activity (e.g. questionnaires and accelerometers), body composition (e.g. skinfold measurement, BIA, MR, ultrasound), lifestyle habits and cardiovascular function (e.g. ambulatory blood pressure measurement, arterial stiffness, ultrasound) and neurophysiology (with age, e.g. by ENeG, motor unit number estmation). The research group specialises in the examination of muscle tissue for structural and functional characteristics, e.g. by immunohistochemistry and enzymatic staining.

Department of Dental Medicine

Giancarlo de la Torre Canales, researcher

Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery

Panagiotis Tsaklis, professor