Elin Larsson

Elin Larsson

Principal Researcher
Visiting address: Widerströmska huset Tomtebodavägen 18 A, plan 3, 17165 Solna
Postal address: K9 Global folkhälsa, K9 GPH Ekström Larsson, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • Associate professor and a principle researcher in global sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), the vice research group leader and a team leader in the Global and Sexual Health research group (GLoSH) at the Department of Global Public Health, and affiliated to the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health. 

    Post doc positions:

    • Dept. of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University (2016-2018)
    • Dept. of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet (2014-2016)

    Vinnvård Fellowship (2016-2019)
    Associate Professor in Global Health, Uppsala University (2019)
    Pharmacist (MSc), Uppsala University (2006)
    PhD in Medical Science, Dept. of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet. Thesis title: “Missed opportunities prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Uganda” (2012)


Research

  • My research focus on migrants and SRHR as well as contraception and abortion, HPV vaccination and prevention, both in low- and middle-income contexts, and in Sweden and Europe. I'm using co-design methods to improve SRHR care in Sweden and Sub-Saharan Africa.  I  supervise doctoral students in Sweden and in Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia.As part of my engagement in reseach and education within SRHR I am part of the management committee of the Academic Network for SRHR Policy (ANSER).

Teaching

  • The core of my teaching is in sexual and reproductive health and rights from a global health perspective, supervision of doctoral and master students as well as research methods. I am the course leader for the course "Collecting and organizing epidemiological data" (7.5 ECT credits, code: 4FH084).

    My teaching includes lectures and seminars at undergraduate and graduate courses (masters and PhD). When teaching I have used “traditional”
    lecturing, workshops, seminars, blended learning including e-learning. Ihave initiated a doctoral course in SRHR, a joint course within the ANSER
    Network

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2026
    The human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for most cervical and anogenital cancers. The HPV vaccine can effectively reduce invasive cervical cancer
    however, HPV vaccine uptake is low in certain groups due to hesitancy and refusal, which undermines the success of the vaccine. In Sweden, HPV vaccine hesitancy has mainly been observed among parents and adolescents in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities with large immigrant populations.The purpose of this project is therefore to co-design and assess the feasibility and preliminary effects of digital health intervention tools to reduce HPV vaccine hesitancy and increase uptake of this vaccine in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in Stockholm, Sweden. Several research questions shall assess whether a co-designed digital health intervention has the potential to improve HPV uptake, awareness and confidence.The project involves three sub-studies implemented by an interdisciplinary team.  Study 1 will involve a formative stage whereby adolescents, parents/guardians and school nurses situated in socially disadvantaged areas in Stockholm will be interviewed to understand their perspectives and concerns related to the HPV vaccine. Thereafter, study 2 will use knowledge gained from study 1 to inform the co-design phase where adolescent boys/girls and their parents/guardians are invited to develop and provide feedback on content and prototypes for digital health interventions. Finally, study 3 will involve pilot-testing of the intervention for feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effect, using a cluster-randomized design.This project is highly feasible as it builds on the study team’s previous research, which show that immigrant communities in Sweden experience poorer health outcomes as well as vaccine hesitancy. Because 1 in 5 Swedes have a migrant background this study is relevant to Swedish society. An appropriate and accessible digital health intervention has the potential to prevent cervical cancer, saving lives and reducing future burdens on an overstretched Swedish healthcare system. The results from this project will be generalizable to similar contexts in Sweden and possibily beyond.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025
    Reports warn of serious pandemic harm on adolescent girls´ and young womens´ (AGYW, 13-24 yrs) lives including on their reproductive health in Africa. The specific aims of this project are to: 1) evaluate the impact of COVID-19 societal restrictions including school closures on unintended pregnancy and contraceptive use among AGYW, and estimate the long-term societal cost of these restrictions in Uganda (Study 1)
    2) explore AGYWs’ and other key stakeholders’ understanding of risk factors and underlying reasons for unintended pregnancies and low contraceptive use in the wake of the pandemic and beyond (Study 2)
    3) co-design a resilient intervention package aiming to reduce unintended pregnancies and improve contraceptive use among AGYW (Study 3)
    and 4) implement and test the intervention package using a cluster-randomized design. Data will be drawn from a large population cohort (rural/urban, &lt
    20,000 people) including intervention outcomes as well as additional quantitative and qualitative data collection. The project is expected to take 3 years and is a collaboration involving a very experienced and skilled team of Swedish and Ugandan researchers who earlier received a joint VR Links grant. The project is anticipated to yield high quality unique evidence about the impact of pandemic restrictions, including extensive school closures on AGYWs. The expected results will contribute to better resilience and pandemic preparedness in resource-poor health systems across Africa.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2022 - 30 November 2026
    In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15-24 years are more likely than older women to acquire HIV, and once pregnant, to transmit HIV to their infants and drop out of care. This highlights an urgent need to revisit the current one-size-fits-all model of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs. The purpose of this project is to optimize PMTCT care for AGYWs, and later their infants, in Tanzania – a setting where HIV remains endemic. To do so, we will use data from a large registry-based cohort (N≈13,800 with 22% 15-24 years) to investigate PMTCT service uptake, retention and health outcomes for AGYWs, as well as subsequent pregnancies and contraceptive use (study 1). We will combine this with a nested prospective cohort to identify social-structural predictors of these outcomes (study 2). We will utilize findings to develop (together with young women, health providers and managers) and prototype a package of micro-interventions that can be implemented in routine care to optimize PMTCT services for AGYWs. Using a cluster-randomized design, we will pilot-test the intervention package for feasibility and preliminary effect, as well as cost-effectiveness.  This five-year project is highly feasible considering the multidisciplinary team with skills and experience in both implementation and experimental research, and will contribute much-needed evidence to advance PMTCT care for AGYWs in line with their unique needs.
  • Sexual and reproductive health and rights for young people: how is the availability, content and quality of care affected by the digitization of healthcare during the covid-19 pandemic?
    Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2021 - 30 November 2024
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2021
  • Forte - the Swedish Research Council for health, Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2022
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2018 - 31 December 2020
  • FK Hälsa - National initiative for delivery care and womens health - national, regional and local strategies for supporting and achieving change
    Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs - via Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions
    1 May 2017 - 31 December 2025
    Syftet med följeforskningen är att öka kunskapen om hur nationella och regionala strategier för stöd och implementering kan bidra vid nationella satsningar - samt att stödja lärandet under den pågående satsningen. Målet är att undersöka, beskriva och dra lärdomar av den implementeringsprocess och de stödstrategier för utveckling och lärande som används på nationell, regional och lokal nivå för att nå ut med satsningen, samt att förstå de valda strategiernas betydelse vid förändring, lärande och hållbarhet i insatser och förändringar efter satsningens slut

Employments

  • Principal Researcher, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-
  • Principal Researcher, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2026

Degrees and Education

  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2012

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