Tobias Alfvén

I am a medical doctor, with a PhD in Epidemiology and a BSc in Business Administration and Political Science. For the last 25 years I have combined research, teaching, clinical medicine in paediatrics and work for the United Nations both in the field and at headquarter. Among many responsibilities when working for UNAIDS in Geneva I was representing the organization in the UN expert group on the Millennium Development Goals. I have worked and conducted research in Asia, Africa and Europe, and I am currently involved in projects in Uganda, Cambodia, Nigeria, Viet Nam and Sweden.

At the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet I am group leader of the Global Child Health and Sustainable Development Goals group and also part of the management team at the Department. At Sachs’ children and youth hospital I am leading the research network in global health and infectious diseases. I am co-chairing the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH), a joint collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University. Further I am the president of the Swedish Society of Medicine and the chair of Agenda for health and prosperity.

Education
- Clinical Professor in Global Child Health 2022
- Licensed pediatrician, Sach´s Children &

- 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

My research aims to reduce child mortality and morbidity with research projects mostly in low-income-countries, such as Uganda, Cambodia, Nigeria, the DRC, 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.

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,  

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)

MD 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)

• Mother and child health in a global perspective (3GB013)
• Neglected Infectious Diseases

Master programme in Public Health in disasters

• Global child health - The major killers among children

Elective course in Sustainable Health and development

• An introduction to Sustainable Health and the Sustainable Development Goals
• Climate change and child health