Joanna Tingström

Joanna Tingström

Affiliated to Research | Docent
Visiting address: Södersjukhuset, Sjukhusbacken 10, 11883 Stockholm
Postal address: S1 Klinisk forskning och utbildning, Södersjukhuset, S1 KI SÖS Forskning Kvinnosjukvård Itzel, 118 83 Stockholm
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About me

  • I have been a Registered Midwife since 1995 and obtained my PhD in 2013 from the Department of Medicine at Karolinska Institutet. My doctoral thesis focused on pregnancies in mothers carrying anti-Ro/SSA antibodies who were at risk of giving birth to a child with congenital heart block. The research examined maternal experiences during pregnancy and analyzed how the chain of care managed this rare condition, which required multidisciplinary specialist expertise.
    In my current role as a University Midwife at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Södersjukhuset, I combine clinical practice with research regarding childbirth and the early postpartum period, alongside educational and training initiatives.

Research

  • My primary research focus centers on patient perspectives during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early postpartum period, with a specific interest in patients' perceptions of the care provided and their educational needs. Currently, my work focuses on pregnancies involving known diagnoses or conditions where additional interventions are required for the birthing person or the newborn. In my research, I employ both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Teaching

  • I have a strong interest in medical education and have previously worked as a Lecturer at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society. I also hold teaching assignments at the Department of Women's and Children's Health, as well as within the KI/Södersjukhuset (KI SÖS) network.
    Currently, I serve as a co-supervisor for two doctoral students and regularly supervise theses at both Bachelor's and Master's levels.

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2021 - 30 November 2026
    Many autoimmune conditions are associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications and fetal loss. Sjögren’s syndrome and SLE are rheumatic autoimmune conditions in which autoantibodies to the SSA and SSB antigens are commonly found. During pregnancy, the maternal autoantibodies are transported across the placenta and affect the developing child. This may lead to a neonatal lupus syndrome, including a congenital heart block with high lethality. This project aims at specifying key steps in the pathogenesis, and using our world-uniqe cohorts and biobanks together with animal models and in vitro systems we will define fetal susceptibility genes and identify the fetal cardiac target bound by the heart-block inducing antibodies, and use these discoveries to delineate the mechanism by which the maternal autoantibodies induce the inflammatory environment and heart block in the expected child. Our strategic setup enables us to move from the clinical problem to cellular and molecular understanding of the disease and back to the patient. The data obtained from the studies will be important for understanding of how fetal immune-mediated disease develops, and will have wider implications for other inflammatory conditions. Importantly, the results will contribute towards identifying targets and strategies suitable for novel preventive measures, diagnostics and treatment of human immune-mediated disease with specific implications for congenital heart block.

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, 2025-2028

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, 2026
  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, 2013
  • Bachelor Of Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet, 2007
  • Master Of Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet, 2007

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