Tobias Alfvén
About me
I am a paediatrician and clinical professor of global child health. For the past 25 years, I have combined research, teaching and clinical medicine in paediatrics. Between 2020-2024 I was President of the Swedish Society of Medicine and since 2022 I am President of the Agenda for Health and Prosperity. Furthermore, I have also worked for the United Nations, both in the field and at headquarters. Among many responsibilities while working for UNAIDS in Geneva, I represented the organisation in the UN Expert Group on the Millennium Development Goals.
At the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet, I am the research group leader of the Global Child Health and the Global Goals group. I supervise several PhD students and the group has around 30 research projects ranging from newborn to adolescent health, infectious diseases, technology and innovation and climate change impact on child health.I am co-chair of the virtual Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH), a joint collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University in Uganda.
At Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, I work as a paediatrician in the emergency department and lead the research network in global health and infectious diseases. I supervise residents and was awarded the Resident Supervisor of the Year 2020.Education
- Clinical Professor in Global Child Health 2022
- Licensed pediatrician, Sach's Children and Youth Hospital 2017
- Assoicate professor in Global Health 2017
- Licensed physician, Karolinska Hospital 2003
- PostDoc in Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, 2003-04
- PhD in Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet, 2002
- Bachelor in business, including Business Economics, National Economics and Political Science, Stockholm and Uppsala University 2001
- Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 2000
Research
My research aims to reduce child mortality and morbidity with research projects mostly in low-income-countries, such as Uganda, Cambodia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Viet Nam, but also in Sweden. I am involved in projects around prevention, new diagnostics and treatment of pneumonia, novel diagnostics of infectious diseases and improved neonatal survival. I am also involved in projects related to inter-disciplinary work around the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change effects on child health and wellbeing, and how to reach children without access to the formal health care system.
Teaching
I teach global health and global child health at all different levels at Karolinska Institutet, and I am also involved in teaching related to climate change and health, neglected infectious diseases, the Sustainable Development Goals and Sustainable health. Further I teach clinical paeditrics at Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital to medical students and junior colleagues. I am further engaged in educational development related to global and sustainable health and the new medical degree programme at Karolinska Institutet.
Selection of my teaching at Karolinska Institutet
Introductary day for all students at KI
The patient of the future: Challenges and Possibilities for Local and Global Health (together with Helena Nordenstedt and Lars Frelin)Medicine programme
The disease panorama and the determinants of health in Sweden and globally (1st semester)
Panel discussion on the future for health care in Sweden (1st semester)
Paediatric infectious diseases in a global perspective (4th semester)
The disease panorama in Sweden from a historical and global perspective (11th semester)
Prevention in practice (seminair 11th semester)Master programme in Global Health
Mother and child health in a global perspective (3GB013)
Neglected Infectious DiseasesMaster programme in Public Health in disasters
Global child health - The major killers among childrenElective course in Sustainable Health and development
An introduction to Sustainable Health and the Sustainable Development Goals
Climate change and child health
Selected publications
- Article: CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 2024;78(4):900-907
- Review: THE LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH. 2024;12(4):e572-e588
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2024;113(4):764-770
- Letter: JAMA PEDIATRICS. 2024;178(2):197
- Journal article: BMC GLOBAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH. 2023;1(1):3
- Article: THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. EUROPE. 2023;24:100532
- Article: PLOS MEDICINE. 2022;19(8):e1003974
- Article: THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. EUROPE. 2022;19:100443
- Article: ECLINICALMEDICINE. 2021;38:101040
- Review: THE LANCET PLANETARY HEALTH. 2021;5(3):e164-e175
- Article: NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. 2020;383(22):2138-2147
- Editorial comment: BULLETIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 2020;98(5):365-366
- Article: PLOS MEDICINE. 2018;15(4):e1002553
- Editorial comment: THE BMJ. 2018;360:k125
Articles
- Article: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION. 2024;17(1):2314345
- Article: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION. 2024;17(1):2317774
- Article: HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING. 2024;39(9):970-984
- Article: VACCINE. 2024;42(26):126388
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2024;113(9):2081-2090
- Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2024;14(1):19847
- Article: BMJ PAEDIATRICS OPEN. 2024;8(1):e002460
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2024;113(6):1388-1395
- Article: MICROMACHINES. 2024;15(6):708
- Article: CHILDREN. 2024;11(6):650
- Journal article: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2024;9(4):e015340
- Article: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH. 2024;24(1):904
- Article: BMJ PAEDIATRICS OPEN. 2024;8(1):e002208
- Article: BMC PEDIATRICS. 2024;24(1):81
- Article: PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH. 2024;4(3):e0002896
- Article: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION. 2023;16(1):2190649
- Article: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION. 2023;16(1):2173853
- Article: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2023;8(12):e013788
- Article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 2023;94(4):1373-1379
- Article: DISABILITY AND HEALTH JOURNAL. 2023;16(4):101481
- Journal article: BMC GLOBAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH. 2023;1(1):6
- Article: BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION. 2023;23(1):511
- Article: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2023;120:23009
- Journal article: ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH: HEALTH. 2023;1(2):023001
- Journal article: POPULATION MEDICINE. 2023;5(Supplement)
- Article: JOURNAL OF PREVENTION. 2023;44(2):239-252
- Article: HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH. 2023;21(1):6
- Article: SUSTAINABILITY. 2023;15(2):1259
- Article: RESUSCITATION PLUS. 2022;12:100338
- Journal article: PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE. 2022;23(Supplement 1 11S)
- Journal article: 2022Patterns of Presentations of Children to Emergency Departments Across Europe and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Observational Multinational Study
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2022;111(10):2004-2009
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH. 2022;19(19):12522
- Article: CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION (CMI). 2022;28(9):1251-1257
- Article: BULLETIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 2022;100(7):422-435
- Article: PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL. 2022;41(7):537-543
- Article: GLOBALIZATION AND HEALTH. 2022;18(1):60
- Article: JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GLOBAL HEALTH. 2022;12(1):7-12
- Article: CHILDREN. 2022;9(3):321
- Article: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2022;7(2):e007996
- Article: PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH. 2022;2(6):e0000169
- Article: COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE. 2022;2(1):68
- Article: FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS. 2022;10:952489
- Article: PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS. 2022;43:1604350
- Journal article: FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS. 2022;10:897803
- Article: BMJ OPEN. 2021;11(11):e054234
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2021;110(11):3069-3076
- Article: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH. 2021;21(1):1870
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2021;110(10):2802-2804
- Article: BMJ OPEN. 2021;11(9):e049699
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH. 2021;18(15):7742
- Article: BMJ PAEDIATRICS OPEN. 2021;5(1):e001092
- Article: PLOS ONE. 2021;16(9):e0257516
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2021;110(1):85-93
- Article: PLOS ONE. 2021;16(10):e0257851
- Article: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2020;5(12):e003762
- Article: JMIR RESEARCH PROTOCOLS. 2020;9(11):e21430
- Article: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2020;117:20037
- Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE. 2020;102(1):20-27
- Article: BMJ PAEDIATRICS OPEN. 2020;4(1):e000688
- Article: INTERNATIONAL HEALTH. 2019;11(4):290-296
- Article: JMIR RESEARCH PROTOCOLS. 2019;8(4):e12705
- Article: ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. 2019;411(4):813-822
- Article: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION. 2019;12(1):1670015
- Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE. 2018;99(5):1255-1261
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2018;107(9):1548-1554
- Article: TALANTA. 2018;183:192-200
- Article: JMIR RESEARCH PROTOCOLS. 2018;7(4):e99
- Article: JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. 2018;141(1):382-390.e7
- Article: AIDS AND BEHAVIOR. 2017;21(Suppl 1):101-113
- Article: AIDS AND BEHAVIOR. 2017;21(Suppl 1):44-50
- Article: AIDS AND BEHAVIOR. 2017;21(Suppl 1):5-14
- Article: AIDS AND BEHAVIOR. 2017;21(Suppl 1):51-61
- Article: PLOS ONE. 2017;12(7):e0182005
- Article: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION. 2017;10(1):1340253
- Article: AIDS RESEARCH AND THERAPY. 2016;13:39
- Article: PLOS ONE. 2016;11(11):e0166018
- Article: CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY. 2015;17(3):326-342
- Article: PEDIATRICS. 2014;134(6):E1528-E1536
- Article: HEALTH RESEARCH POLICY AND SYSTEMS. 2014;12:62
- Article: JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE AND ETHICS. 2014;42(1):72-87
- Article: JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY. 2013;16(1):18000
- Article: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2013;110(1-2):33-36
- Article: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2013;110(1-2):28-30
- Article: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2013;110(1-2):24-26
- Article: BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. 2012;12:456
- Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE. 2012;87(5):36-45
- Article: MALARIA JOURNAL. 2012;11:282
- Article: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY. 2012;42(4):568-577
- Article: PEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY. 2011;22(4):369-373
- Article: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. 2008;116(9):1162-1166
- Article: ALLERGY. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. 2006;61(4):414-421
- Article: BIOMARKERS. 2005;10(2-3):117-126
- Article: BIOMETALS. 2004;17(5):505-509
- Article: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. 2002;110(7):699-702
- Article: OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE. 2000;57(10):668-672
- Article: JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH. 2000;15(8):1579-1586
- Journal article: EPIDEMIOLOGY. 1998;9(4):s111
- Journal article: EPIDEMIOLOGY. 1998;9(4):s112
- Article: OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE. 1998;55(7):435-439
- Journal article:Incidence Rate of COVID-19 Mortality and its Associated Factors During the First and Second Waves in Nigeria: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Journal article:Paediatric, Maternal and Congenital Mpox, Prevention, and Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Journal article:Risk Factors for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children – A Population-Based Cohort Study
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All other publications
- Editorial comment: THE BMJ. 2024;387:q2056
- Letter: CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 2024;79(1):277-278
- Corrigendum: JAMA PEDIATRICS. 2024;178(4):421
- Corrigendum: JAMA PEDIATRICS. 2024;178(4):421
- Corrigendum: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 2024;95(5):1382
- Editorial comment: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION. 2023;16(1):2242196
- Editorial comment: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2022;111(11):2054-2055
- Conference publication: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2022;32:III453
- Conference publication: PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE. 2022;23(11)
- Editorial comment: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2021;110(9):2578-2580
- Conference publication: TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INTERNATIONAL HEALTH. 2021;26:221-222
- Conference publication: TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INTERNATIONAL HEALTH. 2021;26:134
- Conference publication: TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INTERNATIONAL HEALTH. 2021;26:9
- Editorial comment: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2020;109(10):1924-1925
- Letter: ACTA PAEDIATRICA, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS. 2020;109(10):2152-2154
- Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2020
- Review: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2019;116:FHDT
- Other: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2018;115:EYZI
- Conference publication: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE. 2017;97(5):558
- Editorial comment: THE LANCET HIV. 2015;2(2):e40-e41
- Review: PUBLIC HEALTH. 2014;128(2):151-160
- Conference publication: ALLERGY. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. 2010;65:317
- Conference publication: EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2007;18(5):S87
- Corrigendum: ALLERGY. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. 2007;62(4):455
- Published conference paper: JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH. 2004;19(6):900-905
- Conference publication: TOXICOLOGY AND APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY. 2004;197(3):189
- Meeting abstract: EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2003;14(5):S61-S62
- Thesis / dissertation: 2002
- Conference publication: EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2002;13(4):S161
- Review: NORDISK MEDICIN. 1997;112(9):331-333
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Grants
- Swedish Research Council1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
- Swedish Research Council1 December 2020 - 31 December 2022
- Swedish Research Council1 December 2020 - 31 December 2022
- Swedish Research Council1 January 2019 - 31 December 2022
- Swedish Research Council1 January 2019 - 31 December 2020
- Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning1 December 2018 - 30 November 2019
- Swedish Research Council1 November 2017 - 30 November 2017
- Swedish Research Council1 January 2016 - 31 December 2018
Employments
- Professor/Specialist Physician, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-
Degrees and Education
- Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2017
- Doctor Of Philosophy, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2002
- Bachelor in Business Economics, National Economics and Political Science, Uppsala University, 2001
- University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 2000
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Events from KI
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