Elin Holmén

Elin Holmén

Affiliated to Research
Visiting address: Norra Stationsgatan 69, 11364 Stockholm
Postal address: K8 Klinisk neurovetenskap, K8 CPF Jayaram/Hammarberg, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • I am a PhD Student at the Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department for
    Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet. I am also a psychiatric nurse
    at the Stockholm needle exchange program.
    My focus of research is harm reduction and prevention of mortality in people
    who inject drugs.
    My main supervisor is Anders Hammarberg and co-supervisors are Martin
    Kåberg and Jessica Storbjörk.

Research

  • *PhD project*
    The overall goal of my doctoral thesis is to investigate mortality and
    morbidity among clients in the Stockholm needle exchange with the aim of
    tailoring preventive measures to the needs of people who inject drugs.
    A key strategy that can reduce fatal opioid overdoses is to implement
    Take-Home-Naloxone programs. Naloxone is an opioid-specific antagonist that
    swiftly and efficiently alters the effect of an opioid overdose, by reversing
    respiratory depression which can prevent a fatal outcome. Take-Home-Naloxone
    programs provide naloxone directly to individuals at risk of experiencing or
    witnessing an overdose, in order to shorten the time to overdose reversal. In
    the majority of heroin-related overdoses, death does not occur until 20-30
    minutes after use, offering a window for pharmaceutical interventions to
    reverse the overdose.
    In my PhD project, I am studying the impact of the Take-Home-Naloxone program
    in the Stockholm needle exchange through quantitative as well as qualitative
    methods.
    I am also planning further studies on drug related mortality and causes of
    death in people who inject drugs.
    *NaLPORS: Naloxone Prospective Observational Cohort Research Study*
    I am involved in NaLPORS
  • an international research project, coordinated by
    researchers in King’s College London. This is a prospective mixed methods
    study of the effectiveness of naloxone administration by lay people in
    reversing opioid overdose that will investigate and compare
    Take-Home-Naloxone programs in several European countries.

Articles

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2027

Degrees and Education

  • Degree Of Master Of Medical Science 60 Credits, Karolinska Institutet, 2016
  • Postgraduate Diploma In Specialist Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, 2016

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