Anne Örtqvist

I am an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, affiliated with Professor Olof Stephansson's research group at the Clinical Epidemiology Division at the Department of Medicine, Solna. I earned my PhD in 2015 with a thesis named "Early life origins of asthma - genetic and environmental factors in twin and kin" at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

COURSES AND DEGREES

2025, Board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
2024, Associate Professor (Docent) in Clinical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet (KI)

2018, Licensed Medical Doctor, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare

2015, Doctoral degree (PhD), Dept. of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, KI

2013, University Medical Degree (MD), KI

CURRENT POSITION
2025/04 - ongoing, 50% research at the Clinical Epidemiology Division, Dept of Medicine, Solna, KI, and 50% clinical work as a specialist in OB/GYN at Visby Lasarett, Gotland.

SELECTED ACADEMIC DISTINCTIONS AND OTHER MERITS
2011, Selected after nomination by the Swedish Nobel Foundation to represent Karolinska Institutet’s medical students at the ”61th Meeting of Nobel Laureates dedicated to Physiology/Medicine”, Lindau, Germany
2012, Recipient of Swedish Asthma and Allergy Foundation Scholarship, in memory of Kerstin Hejdenberg
2015, Recipient of Asklepiospriset, best published original paper by a medical student, Swedish Medical Association
2020-2022, Research and education representative at the board of Obstetrics and Gynaecologist under training (OGU), as well as national resident representative within the educational board at the Swedish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (SFOG), including organization of a 2-day national congress for residents in OB/Gyn

2020 – ongoing,   board member of “Gotlands Forskningsfond”

2022 – ongoing, Academic Editor at scientific journal PLOS ONE
2022 – ongoing, reviewer of research grant applications for KI Fonder

2022-2023, Co-chair of Junior Faculty at KEP, KI
2023, Recipient, Best short oral presentation of a scientific poster at the 42th Nordic Congresses of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Trondheim

2024, Associate Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Solna, KI

My main research focus is in infections, medication and vaccination during pregnancy. I am the principal investigator of a project focusing on maternal vaccination against pertussis, influenza, RS-virus and COVID-19 and subsequent outcomes for the mother and child in a project called Vaccination In Pregnancy study (VIPs).

I am also one of the project leaders of the Swedish node in a Scandinavian collaboration named "Scandinavian studies of COvid-19 in PrEgnancy" (SCOPE). SCOPE aims to study COVID-19 infection and vaccination during pregnancy in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Since the start of the pandemic we have evaluated several aspects of infection and vaccination and subsequent maternal adverse outcomes as well as neonatal outcomes, including hypertension during pregnancy, miscarriage, preterm birth, vaccination uptake, and risk factors for infection among others.

Other research areas of interest focuses on health care determinants on pregnancy outcomes, and more specifically safe deliveries for both mother and child. We have studied the association between travel time to delivery unit and unplanned out-of-hospital birth, infant morbidity and mortality, as well as maternal outcomes such as spontaneous versus planned start (induction or elective cesarean section) of delivery. 

My PhD-studies focused on the role of fetal growth and exposure to antibiotics, and the risk of developing asthma/lung function restriction. We have further investigated the potential role of early antibiotic exposure and the risk of developing very early onset inflammatory bowel disease. I have also worked with validation studies of asthma in the Swedish population-based registers.

I am the main supervisor of PhD students Kévin Lasmi and Hanna Josefsson, Clinical Epidemiology Division, Deparment of Medicine, Solna, who will focus their doctoral education on epidemiological and qualitative aspects of vaccination in pregnancy.

I am also a co-supervisor to PhD student and midwife Silvia Segovia Chacón at the Clinical Pharmacoepidemiology unit, Department of Medicine, Solna, KI, and also to dr Jannica Smedberg, surgeon at Visby Lasarett, and PhD student at Uppsala University, Department of surgical sciences. 

I was the course organizer and lecturer for the course in Scientific Education at Visby Lasarett between 2016-2022. I am also a seminar leader within the Research school in epidemiology for clinicians at KI, and a clinical supervisor of medical students from Uppsala University at their clinical course in ob/gyn at Visby Lasarett.