Susanna Myrnerts Höök

Susanna Myrnerts Höök

Postdoctoral Studies
Visiting address: Tomtebodavägen 18A, 17177 Stockholm
Postal address: K9 Global folkhälsa, K9 GPH Alfvén, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Dr. Susanna Myrnerts Höök is a senior consultant in paediatrics at Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, and a postdoctoral researcher in the Global Child Health and the Sustainable Development Goals group at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet (KI). With over twelve years of research experience, her work has primarily focused on perinatal care, neonatal survival, and innovations in neonatal resuscitation and surfactant treatment via laryngeal mask airways, with projects conducted in Uganda, Vietnam, and Rwanda.

    Since 2019, Dr. Myrnerts Höök has been involved in collaborative projects with Phu San Hospital, Vietnam, and currently serves as the coordinator for the project "Critical care with a focus on the perinatal period to scale up research, capacity building, and implementation at Phu San Hanoi Hospital, Vietnam (2025–2028)." This initiative emphasizes airway management and surfactant treatment, including a randomized trial investigating laryngeal mask airway use for surfactant administration in Vietnam.

    Since 2023, she has also been a co-investigator in the "OPTIPRO" trial in Rwanda, a collaboration with the University of Gothenburg. Supported by the Swedish Research Council, this randomized trial compares probiotic treatment with a placebo in low-birth-weight infants, aiming to assess its impact on malnutrition and neonatal mortality.

    Dr. Myrnerts Höök completed her PhD in May 2021 with a thesis titled "Supporting neonatal resuscitation in low-resource settings - innovations and new strategies." Her research explored strategies to optimize the management of non-breathing neonates immediately after birth, particularly in Uganda. The thesis emphasized the development and evaluation of tools such as a smartphone app for heart rate assessment and the use of laryngeal mask airways (LMA) for improved airway management during ventilatory support. These interventions were assessed for their alignment with international neonatal resuscitation guidelines and their impact on neonatal mortality and morbidity.

    Her contributions to neonatal health have been recognized with the Publication of the Year 2020 award from the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Bergen. She was joint first author of the article "A randomized trial of laryngeal mask airway in neonatal resuscitation, " published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2020.

    Dr. Myrnerts Höök's research has advanced understanding and practices in neonatal global health, addressing critical gaps in care and innovation for vulnerable populations. 

    Current Positions

    • Postdoctoral Researcher in Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet
    • Senior Consultant in Paediatric Critical Care, Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden

    Education and Certifications

    • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
      • University of Bergen, Norway (2016–May 2021)
      • Supervisor: Professor Thorkild Tylleskär, affiliated with Karolinska Institutet
      • Dissertation: "Supporting neonatal resuscitation in low-resource settings - innovations and new strategies"
    • Certified Specialist in Paediatrics, 2015
    • Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
      • University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden (1996–2002)

    Residency and Internship

    • Paediatrics Residency
      • Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden (2010–2015)
    • General Medicine Residency
      • S:t Erik Health Centre, Stockholm, Sweden (2005–2010)
    • Internship
      • Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden (2002–2005)
      • Departments: Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Surgery, General Medicine, Psychiatry

    Licensure

    • Medical License, Sweden, 2002

    Languages

    • Swedish: Native
    • English, Spanish, French: Fluent in both spoken and written communication

Research

  • Ongoing and Recent Research Projects

    • 2023 – ongoing: Co-investigator collaborating with the University of Gothenburg in the "OPTIPRO" trial in Rwanda, a randomized study on probiotic treatment compared to placebo in low birth weight children to investigate its effects on malnutrition and neonatal mortality, supported by the Swedish Research Council.
    • 2019 – ongoing: Co-investigator in the NEO-SPIRIT Trial (NEOnatal SuPRaglottic vIetnam Trial), assessing a supraglottic device versus endotracheal intubation in neonatal resuscitation in Vietnam – a randomized Phase III clinical trial.
    • 2013 – ongoing: Development of NeoTap, a free application for heart rate registration during neonatal resuscitation. Includes a manikin study at Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, and an observational study at Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda.
    • 2016 – 2019: NeoSupra trial, a multi-center, Phase III, open-label, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of i-gel® supraglottic airway in neonatal resuscitation, focusing on reducing early neonatal mortality and morbidity compared to standard face-mask ventilation in low-income countries. Involved in the coordination team, steering committee, and data management team.
    • 2016 – May 2021: PhD candidate at Bergen University, Norway, with published papers in Acta Paediatrica, BMJ Paediatrics Open, and The New England Journal of Medicine. The following articles are part of the thesis:
      • Accurate and fast neonatal heart rate assessment with a smartphone-based application – a manikin study
      • Smartphone app for neonatal heart rate assessment – an observational study
      • A randomized trial of laryngeal mask airway in neonatal resuscitation

    Previous Research Experience

    • 1999 – 2000: Research on "Arthritis among children of the Shipibo people" in Pucallpa, Peru, under the supervision of Professor Anders Fasth, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Teaching

    • 2014–Present: Teacher for medical students at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
    • 2016–Present: Master Trainer for Helping Babies Breathe neonatal resuscitation training in Uganda
    • 2015: Participated in organizing training in Essential Newborn Care for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) doctors

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Critical care with a focus on the perinatal period to scale up research, capacity building and implementation at Phu San Hanoi Hospital, Vietnam
    Carl Bennet AB
    1 January 2025 - 31 December 2028
    This project aims to scale up research, capacity building and implementation at Phu San Hospital Vietnam. The following research and training activities in maternal and newborn care are planned for 2025-2028, based on the collaboration to date between the Karolinska Institutet and Vietnam Phu San Hanoi Hospital. including four components. The NeoSpirit SALSA Trial The trial aims to recruit 230 preterm infants in need of surfactant over a period of 2-3 years. This major undertaking will be the first and largest randomized controlled trial (RCT) globally investigating surfactant delivery through a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) to extremely low birth weight infants. The results will be of great importance for the care of premature newborns all over the world. Further, the research project is building capacity in research and clinical care of newborns. PhD twinning program To strengthen the clinical aspects of the trial, support for two Vietnameses PhD candidates Center of Excellence Simulation Lab Expanding the collaboration to include simulation and team training in Vietnam by building a Centre of Excellence Simulation lab at Phu San. The work would move beyond the trials, to other areas of critical care, with focus on newborns and serve as a hub for advanced training, enabling healthcare professionals to hone their skills in a controlled, realistic environment. Celebrating Vietnam – Sweden 50 years of collaboration in health care and health research – a bilateral seminar event in Hanoi including business and health care during 2026.
  • Clinical postdoc employment
    Stockholm region
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025
    Being born prematurely is potentially life-threatening and occurs in approximately 11% of live births. Complications from premature birth account for one million deaths each year and are a risk factor in over 50% of all neonatal deaths, with the majority occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Preterm infants often require support with positive pressure ventilation. Life-threatening respiratory failure due to immature lungs can arise in the days following birth, necessitating the administration of a surfactant. The administration of surfactant has traditionally required intubation, a complex technique usually performed by anesthesiologists and neonatologists. Experience with intubation is limited in regions where most premature infants die, and a lack of experience is also an issue in parts of Sweden. The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was invented to provide a more practical and safer airway than a traditional face mask while being less invasive than intubation. It can be safely used by midwives for newborns older than 34 weeks, making it highly promising. LMA for preterm infants with low birth weight is currently undergoing evaluation. We are exploring its usability and the extent to which it can replace intubation. Through clinical studies, we will assess the potential of LMA in preterm sizes for surfactant administration. If the results are positive, LMA in preterm sizes will contribute to reduced morbidity and mortality both globally and in Sweden, supporting efforts to achieve Global Goal 3.2 by 2030, which includes a specific target for infant survival.
  • Improved Infant Survival in Low-Income Countries Through Innovation and New Strategies
    the Swedish Society of Medicine
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2024
  • Surfactant Therapy for Preterm Newborns with a New Generation of Laryngeal Masks
    The Swedish of Medicine
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2022
  • Supporting neonatal resuscitation in low-resource settings : Innovations and new strategies
    the Swedish Society of Medicine
    1 January 2022 - 31 March 2022
  • Laryngeal mask airway for the treatment of respiratory distress in the preterm infant
    KI Research Foundation
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
  • Improve Infant Survival in Low-Income Countries Through Innovation and New Strategies
    Swedish Infant Death Fundation
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
  • Assessing a Supraglottic Device Versus Endotracheal Intubation in Neonatal Resuscitation in Vietnam – a Randomized Phase III Clinical Trial (NEO-SPIRIT)
    Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2022
  • Neonatal supraglottic airway trial
    The Research Council of Norway
    1 January 2016 - 31 December 2019

Employments

  • Senior consultant pediatrics, Critical care, Pediatric critical care, Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, 2022-
  • Postdoctoral position, Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2021-
  • Postdoctoral Studies, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026
  • Pediatric specialist, Pediatric critical care, Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, 2016-2022

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