Eva Broström

Adjunct Professor since 2019 in pediatric science with focus on Physiotherapy at the Department of Women’s and 

Primary position: Head of Neuropediatric Unit since 2017 at Department of Women´s and Children´s Health and fulltime researcher. since 2024. 

Researchgroup leader for Movement, Activity and Health since 2017

Initiator and established Center of Clinical Pediatric studies at Astrid Lindgren Children´s Hosptial, Karolinska Univeristy Hospital. Served as the head between May 2021 to May 2024.

Adjunct Professor Eva Broström, originally from Österskär and the Stockholm archipelago, has a diverse educational background in economics and pedagogy from Stockholm University and is a licensed physiotherapist. She completed her PhD at Karolinska Institutet in 2004 in Professor Hans Forssberg's research group, focusing on pediatric rheumatologic diseases and their impact on children’s daily lives.

Following her PhD, she co-founded a motion analysis laboratory with colleagues, facilitating the integration of research findings into clinical practice. Today, gait analysis and functional testing are widely used for planning and evaluating medical, orthopedic, and physiotherapeutic interventions.

Broström also completed an eight-month postdoc at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she worked in Professor Henrik Malchau’s group, researching the effects of osteoarthritis on mobility, strength, physical activity, and pain. This collaboration evolved into an ongoing partnership with Professor Maura Iversen, who now serves as a guest professor in Broström's group.

Professor Broström has held several leadership roles at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, including Head of the Musculoskeletal disorders and Neuropediatrics Units, as well as the Specialized Advanced Homecare for Children (2013-2016), and the Medical Unit for Pediatric Orthopedics and Pediatric Medicine (2016-2022). She initiated and served as Head of the Center for Clinical Pediatric Studies from 2022 to 2024.

Since 2017, Broström has been Head of the Pediatric Neurology Unit and leader of the Movement, Activity, and Health research group at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health (KBH), where she actively contributes to strategic initiatives, education, research, and graduate training. Her research focuses on children and adults with musculoskeletal and neurological issues, particularly in pediatric rheumatology, neurology, and orthopedics.

Professor Broström’s research involves children and adults who have problems with the musculoskeletal system, especially children with 

Professor Broström has built up a computerised three-dimensional motion analysis system at MotorikLab at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, which
makes it possible to quantify dynamic biomechanical variables with high precision during movement. The research results have been quickly transferred to clinical practice, where for example gait analysis and functional tests are now used in investigations to select a treatment method and to evaluate treatment outcomes.

She has also established the Core Facility for Movement, Activity, and Health for children and adolescents, aimed at developing a center of expertise in modern motion analysis, measurement methods, and digitalization in healthcare. Her research group holds unique expertise, particularly in pediatric research focused on intervention studies, instrument development, and long-term follow-ups to deepen the understanding of condition-specific patient needs.

Professor Broström are PI for the instrumental in developing and implementing Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREM), emphasizing children’s and adolescents' experiences and involvement in healthcare. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) also play a significant role in her research.

Currently, Broström is establishing a medical XR group at KI, aimed at advancing research, education, and healthcare applications. XR (Extended Reality)—which includes Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR)—enables interaction with digital objects in the real world or immerses users in a digital environment.

Professor Broström has supervised 5 PhD candidates up to the defence of the candidate’s doctoral thesis, with the applicant serving as 

Ongoing supervision of a one PhD candidate, with the applicant serving as 

Course responsible for:

Gait analysis in clinic (upper undergraduate level), KI, (2007–present)

Neuropediatric and paediatric neurosurgery for nurses, KI, (2016)

Basic course in gait and motion analysis for the 2012 European Society for Movement Analysis in Adults and Children (ESMAC)