Melissa Kotte

I am an oncology nurse and researcher at Karolinska Institutet, specialising in exercise oncology. I recently completed my PhD within the Research School of Health Science and the Wengström Research Group. My research centres on the evaluation of exercise interventions to improve health outcomes and quality of life for people living with and beyond cancer.

Alongside my research role at Karolinska Institutet, I work clinically as an oncology nurse at the Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center. I am also the network coordinator for SweCanMove, Sweden’s national network for training and cancer. Across my roles, I aim to strengthen the integration of evidence-based exercise into routine cancer care.

My research focuses on exercise oncology, involving the design and evaluation of exercise interventions for people living with and beyond cancer. I work in interdisciplinary teams with clinical and exercise science researchers to investigate how structured exercise can improve health outcomes and quality of life following cancer treatment.

My doctoral research project, EX-MED Cancer Sweden, examined the live-remote delivery of supervised exercise to increase accessibility to exercise programmes for cancer survivors. The intervention was evaluated in a two-armed randomised controlled trial assessing effects on health-related quality of life, physical function and physical activity, alongside qualitative exploration of participants’ experiences of exercise after cancer treatment.

Across my research, I use both quantitative and qualitative methods, with the overarching aim of supporting the implementation of exercise as an integral component of cancer care.