Emma Swärdh

I am a physiotherapist and work as an assistant senior lecturer at the Division of Physiotherapy. My expertise is largely in the areas of health promotion, health education, and behavioral medicine but I also have a strong commitment to sustainable development including planetary health and sustainable health care. I am a course leader in courses in the Physiotherapy program and teach in all its semesters. I have an assignment as an environmental- and sustainability representative at NVS, and I am a member of the Council for Environment and Sustainable Development at KI. I´m also a member of the Environmental Physiotherapy Association executive committee. I am active in the Swedish Association of Physiotherapists, as a board member of the Council for Ethics and Sustainability, and have been active in the working groups for Pain and Rheumatology.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of lecturing, holding workshops, and creating educational materials for both the public, patient associations, the pharmaceutical industry, and media companies. I thus have good experience of working with Karolinska's third work area, and can highlight and disseminate research results and evidence, in a popular science and inspiring way. 

During the years 2015-2022 I worked in an interprofessional and patient-inclusive project "LiR - Levnadsvanor inom reumatologi" funded by the National Board of Health and Welfare. The project group developed a working model, the LiR model. The model provides a common knowledge base for different health professionals on the lifestyle habits of physical activity, diet, alcohol and tobacco, creates a simple workflow for employees in rheumatology and clarifies the patient's path to support in the change process. 

(a selection of courses)

• Climate psychology
• Environmental psychology and design
• Behavioral change for sustainability
• Earth's climate and climate change
• Social sustainability from a public health perspective
• Educating for sustainable development
• Contributing to sustainable development through teaching
• Health promotion
• Health education
• Behavioral medicine methods in physiotherapy
• Basic higher education pedagogy
• Teaching in a glocal university
• Higher Education Didactics in Sustainability
• FAL - Future Academic Leaders
• Rhetoric and Climate Transition (ongoing)

Academic honours, awards and prizes

• 2024 Karolinska Institute Sustainability Award
• 2019 Ingrid Odéns Award for Research within Physiotherapy
• 2013 The Swedish Rheumatism Association Award for Reseqrch within Healthcare Science
• 2009 ARHP Graduate Student Award (American College of Rheumatology)

My research area currently focuses on education for sustainable development in Physiotherapy where I am the research leader in the project ESD-P Sweden. Previous research projects have included physical activity and behavior change in patients with rheumatic diseases.

I have a strong commitment to teaching, learning and pedagogy, have worked with teaching in about 20 different courses at basic and advanced level since 2007, and have developed teaching and learning as well as participated in pedagogical assignments for many years. Most of my teaching at the basic level has been within the physiotherapy program at KI semesters 1-6, but also within other courses at KI and outside KI. The advanced courses I have taught have been freestanding courses, courses within master programs and commissioned courses at KI. I have also planned and taught a few MOOC courses at KI.

I have been the course leader for courses at the basic level between 2014-2023, and for courses at the advanced level between 2012-2016, KI.

2023- Education Committee CNS, KI

2022- Education Counsil, Physiotherapy programme, KI

2015-2017 Education Counsil, Physiotherapy programme, KI

2015-2016 Education Committee NVS, KI