Theresa Lemke

At Karolinska Institutet, I work as a research assistant at the National Center for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP). My employment is with Stockholm Healthcare Services (SLSO) in a research and development unit called CHIS (Center for health economics, informatics and healthcare research), to which NASP also belongs. 

The Suicidal Process and Individualized Support for Suicidal Crises 
I am the project coordinator for WAVES (Within-person Assessment of Vulnerability to Suicidal Crises), a FORTE-funded project (2025-2029) that aims to improve knowledge about the suicidal process, more specifically the temporal sequences, and based on that knowledge develop a so-called "Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention" (JITAI) that will be able to provide individualized support during suicidal crises in real time. The project is a collaboration between researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Region Stockholm, and Region Jönköping. 

Adolescent Sleep and Delayed School Start Times
I am interested in better understanding the relationship between sleep and mental health in adolescents and developing interventions to promote adolescents sleep, with the aim of generating benefits for their mental health and development. I am coordinating a project that aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of delaying school start times in middle- and high-schools for promoting adolescent health. In an ongoing study that involves three high-schools in Stockholm County that have implemented delayed start times in a selection of classes, we evaluate the effects of delayed school start times on adolescents' sleep, learning and overall development. The study is carried out in collaboration with the Education Department in the City of Stockholm. 

Research Communication with Stakeholders and the Public
At NASP I am also involved in a project group that conducts activities related to disseminating information and knowledge about suicide to various target audiences, such as the general public, journalists, as well as governmental bodies and other organizations. I am also working with the Swedish online portal Elevhälsoportalen, that supports schools and preschools in their health-promoting work by identifying the latest research about health promoting structural measures in school and preschool environments. As part of the expert group, I am responsible for the health area Mental health for schools.