Louise Lundborg

Please feel free to contact me by email or by phone at +46 70 725 88 09.

I completed my PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, in 2022. My doctoral work reappraised labour duration and modern definitions of “normal” progress, aiming to strike the right balance between necessary and unnecessary interventions during childbirth and thereby promote both clinical safety and psychological well-being for women and infants. All four of my studies used quantitative data from the Stockholm–Gotland obstetric database, linked to national health and other registries.

Clinically, I have a postion at Karolinska Universitets sjukhuset as Senior Consultant Midwife, combining clinical work with Quality Improvement & Research.

Parallel to my research I served as Vice President of the Swedish Midwifery Association between 2022-2024.

Appointments & Education

• 4-year Postdoctoral Research Grant, Region Stockholm (2022–2026)
• PhD, Epidemiology & Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet
  “Safe labour – reappraisal of labour duration and clinical management for improved maternal and infant outcome” (2018–2022)
• Research School for Clinicians in Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet (2018–2020)
• MSc Medical Science, Midwifery Science, Uppsala University (2016)
• Higher Education in Health Science, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall (2015)
• Registered Midwife, Karolinska Institutet (2005–2007)
• Registered Nurse, Sophiahemmets Högskola (1995–2000)

Awarded 

• Alvarenga Prize, Swedish Society of Medicine (2023)
  Established by the bequest of Professor Pedro Francesco da Costa Alvarenga, this prize rewards valuable, unpublished manuscripts by Swedish authors in the field of medical research.
• Karolina Widerström Scholarship, Women Academics Association (2020)
  Awarded for scientific accomplishment and strong potential in research on women’s health from a life-course perspective.
• Operation Kvinnofrid Peace Prize, County Administrative Board (2017)
  In recognition of project leadership for the Amel educational initiative—Sweden’s first specialized clinic for women subjected to genital mutilation—which has significantly raised professional awareness of the practice and its consequences.

Current Position & Research Focus
I hold a four-year Postdoctoral Research Grant at the Clinical Epidemiology Division, Karolinska Institutet, where my work centers on the effects of medical interventions during labor—particularly the administration of oxytocin—and both short-term and long-term outcomes in offspring. Leveraging Sweden’s national health and population registers, I employ epidemiological methods alongside qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to answer clinical important questions such as:

How does exogenous versus endogenous oxytocin influence labor progression and maternal–infant outcomes?

Which clinical practices support genuine shared decision-making in childbirth?

What contextual and interpersonal factors shape women’s birth experiences?

Major Projects & Collaborations

PICRINO Trial (Nationwide Stepped-Wedge RCT)
Testing the WHO Labor Care Guide as a new tool for labor monitoring in multiple Swedish delivery units. I coordinate implementation, data collection, and register linkage to evaluate clinical, psychological, and health-economic endpoints.

Continuity of Care Model (Caseload Midwifery)
Evaluating the “Min BM” model at Karolinska University Hospital, where a named midwife follows women through pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care. My mixed-methods study explores impacts on clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and care equity.

Continuous Support During Labor
Assessing the impact of one-to-one continuous support (e.g., midwife presence) on labor duration, intervention rates, and maternal satisfaction in both low- and high-risk populations

Chronic Conditions & Pregnancy
Examining how preexisting maternal chronic diseases (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune disorders) affect pregnancy trajectories, intervention needs, and perinatal outcomes—integrating registry-based risk modeling

Oxytocin Use & Outcomes
Examining how different exogenous oxytocin dosing regimens—and the interplay with women’s endogenous oxytocin release—affect labor progress, rates of operative delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, and early neonatal adaptation. We link detailed infusion data from delivery records with national health registers to:

Model dose–response relationships and identify optimal infusion protocols

Explore variation in clinical practice 

Investigate longer-term child outcomes (e.g., neurodevelopment) in relation to intrapartum oxytocin exposure

Inequity & Racism in Maternity Care
In partnership with Stockholm University, I’m investigating structural and interpersonal racism within Swedish maternity services—combining registry analyses with qualitative interviews to map disparities and inform policy.

Methodological Expertise

• Epidemiology & Register-Based Research
• Qualitative Methods (in-depth interviews, focus groups, thematic analysis)
• Shared Decision-Making Frameworks in maternity care
• Oxytocin Physiology & Clinical Application
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Expert & Steering Roles

Member of the steering group, LÖF (Sveriges Kommuner och Landstings Försäkringsbolag) Advisor

Jämställdhetsmyndigheten (Swedish Gender Equality Agency) Consultant

Socialstyrelsen (National Board of Health and Welfare)

• Supervisor for Marshid Abdi Shahshahani
• Supervisor for Anna Halldelius Doctoral Student Linköpings Universitet, Midwifery continous support during labor.
• Teaching Research School for Clinicians in Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet 
• Supevisor for Masterstudent in Global Health. 
• Supervisor for Midwifery students thesis projects
• Barnmorskeprogrammet, Midwifery education Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University
• Amelprojektet, Education project, project leading and teaching about Female Genital Mutilation
• CEPS, Neonatal resuscitation instructor for clinical training 
• Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course instructor