Maria Hagströmer

Maria Hagströmer

Professor/Physical Therapist

I am a Professor in Physiotherapy at the Division of Physiotherapy, Department of NVS, KI with a joint position at Academic Primary Care Centre in Region Stockholm.&#160

I am currently the director o

Telephone: +46852488836
Mobile phone: +46707129590
Visiting address: Alfred Nobels Allé 23, 14183 Huddinge
Postal address: H1 Neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle, H1 Fysioterapi Hagströmer, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Candidate KI Academic elections 2026 - for the position of Dean and Vice Dean of Education at First- and Second-Cycle Level

    I am honored to be one ot the candidates for the position of Dekan of Education for first- and second-cycle education. 

    My motivation for the appointment

    My vision is to contribute to ensuring that all education at KI is of the highest quality and appropriately aligned with societal needs. I am pleased that KI is expanding collegial influence and I look forward to representing education and educational matters on the Faculty Board. I am well suited to the appointment through my strong commitment to educational matters and my extensive leadership experience at multiple levels. I am analytical, proactive, and have a clear holistic and systems-oriented perspective. I have extensive collaborations within Karolinska Institutet and with other higher education institutions, as well as a thorough understanding of KI:s organisation and its collaboration with Region Stockholm through my joint appointment in primary care.

    Priority areas during my term of office

    • To ensure that all programmes at KI maintain high quality, including research-based education, evidence-based pedagogy, modern learning environments, and effective quality assurance processes
    • To promote clearer and more robust career pathways for teachers that stimulate pedagogical competence development and ensure sustainable academic staffing
    • To further develop collaboration with Region Stockholm and municipalities, including the expansion of clinical placements (VFU)

    To foster collaboration and engagement within KI, I will:

    • Work with open communication and transparent processes, supported by clear structures and support functions
    • Promote KI:s shared objectives through close interaction with the departments

    Who am I: 

    I am Professor of Physiotherapy at NVS, KI, with a joint appointment at the Academic Primary Health Care Centre (APC), Region Stockholm, and I serve as Director of Education at the department. I was awarded my PhD from KI in 2007 and have since combined research, education and leadership in several academic roles, including a postdoctoral appointment at the NIH, USA.

    I have a strong and long-standing commitment to educational matters and am a member of KI:s Pedagogical Academy. In my role as Director of Education, I have overall responsibility for education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with departmental responsibility for 16 programmes, and I have led and contributed to evaluations, quality assurance work and change processes.

    I have extensive experience of academic leadership with responsibility for staff, work environment and finances, including roles as Head of Section at NVS and Head of Department at the Department of Health Promotion Sciences at Sophiahemmet University. I am also a research group leader, principal investigator for several projects, have been awarded substantial external research funding, and serve as Chair of the Doctoral School in Health Sciences at KI as well as of the VR-funded Mälardalen Doctoral School in Caring Sciences.

    My combined experience of research, education and academic leadership, together with my joint appointment with the regional health authority, has provided me with a thorough understanding of KI:s organisation, governance and decision-making structures, as well as a broad professional network. I have a high capacity for work and am a dynamic and results-oriented leader with a strong holistic and systems-based perspective. My analytical skills enable me to identify strategic opportunities while also carefully assessing the short- and long-term consequences of decisions, ensuring well-informed and sustainable leadership.

    //Maria

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    About me

    I am a Professor in Physiotherapy at the Division of Physiotherapy, Department of NVS, KI with a joint position at Academic Primary Care Centre in Region Stockholm. My clinical traning is in Physiotherapy and Public health. I defended my thesis titled “Assessment of health enhancing physical activity at population level” in 2007 and have thereafter combined research with teaching and academic leadership. I was awarded the KI Pedagogic academy in 2011, the Swedish Physiotherapist of the year in 2014 and the KI working environmendtand health prize in 2018. I am currently the director of first and second cycle education at the department and chair of the research school in health sciences (FiH).

Research

  • My research focus is in the area of physical activity and physical exercise. I study a) the levels and patterns of objectively assessed physical activity at population level as well as in subgroups of the population, b) the link between physical activity and health and c) the effect of exercise interventions on habitual physical activity levels and clinical outcomes. My research combines epidemiology, method development and intervention research.

    I have been successful as a principal applicant in receiving grants from Karolinska Institutet strategic research foundations, The Swedish Reserach Council (VR), Folksam, Åke Wiberg foundation, Diabetes foundation, Cancer foundation, Region Stockholm (ALF and NSV) and funding for doctoral students from KID and School of doctoral education in health care sciences.

    I have over 200 peer-reviewed publications and an H-index of 46.

Teaching

  • I have a strong committment in teaching and learning. I am actively working on developing and improving courses with the student's learning in focus. Since 2011, I have been a member of the pedagogical Academy at Karolinska Institutet. In my role as Professor in Physiotherapy, I support the research basis of education at basic, advanced, and postgraduate educational level. I have previously been a teacher representative in the program board for the study program in Physiotherapy. 

    I have taken basic pedagogical courses, courses on distance learning, course design and examinations, IT-in education and pedagogical leadership.

    My teaching is primarily in health promotion, physical activity, exercise and health and measurement methods. I am currently the course leader for a post-graduate course "Measurement of physical activity using objective methods" and have been course leader for the single-subject course "Physical Activity as Prevention". I teach in the Physiotherapy program and the single-subject course "Working with disease prevention methods". I have among all also developed and been a teacher on a massive online open course and "Pedagogy for research supervisors".

Articles

All other publications

Grants

Employments

  • Professor/Physical Therapist, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-
  • Professor/Physiotherapist, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2020-2022
  • Professor, Sophiahemmet University College, 2018-2020

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2010
  • Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 2007
  • Master Of Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet, 2001
  • Bachelor Of Science In Physiotherapy, Karolinska Institutet, 1997

Leadership and responsibility assignments

Distinction and awards

Supervision

Committee work

News from KI

Events from KI