Ulrika Kreicbergs

Ulrika became a registered nurse in 1987. In 2004 she presented her PhD thesis entitled ”To Lose a Child to Cancer – A nation-wide study of parents experiences”. She completed  her post doc at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston USA 2006-2007. For two years Ulrika did clinical work and teaching, while also continuing her resarch work at Karolinska Institutet. In 2009 she recieved  funding from the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Cancer Foundation enabling her to build her own research team. In 2014 she was the first to be appointed professor in palliative care for children and youth in the Noric countries. Ulrika have initiated what today is the Swedish Association for Pediatric Palliative Care. She has been activly involved in the Swedish Cauncil for Palliative Care and the development of the Swedish National Guidelines for Pediatric Palliative Care. She has served as memeber of several research committees, for the past six years, for the Swedish Chilhood Cancer Foundation. She currently serve as a member of the SMA Europe Scientific Advisory Boad.

Ulrika’s research can be summarized in exploration, prevention, and intervention.

Her work focuses on factors in the health care and within the family that can be modified or avoided to reduce suffering. Based on her observational studies interventions for families affected by life-limiting or life-threatening illness and bereaved family members have been initiated. She has carried out nation-wide studies to investigate parents and siblings’ psychosocial health following the loss of a child to cancer in Sweden and beyond. Moreover, she has conducted nation-wide studies on parents of children with spinal muscular atrophy in both Sweden and Denmark. An ongoing study concerns children with spinal muscular atrophy in an era of new treatment options. This longitudinal study focuses on decision making and long-term impact of the new therapies for the child, families, and health care professionals. Her studies exhibit high participation rates. A key has been close partnership with patients, and family members.

Ulrika has taught on several undergraduate and postgraduate programs both nationally and internationally and supervised numerous master and doctoral students. She has arranged a multitude of seminars and an advanced course in pediatric palliative care. Ulrika has also been given lectures for patient or parents organizations and public to increase awareness of pediatric palliative care and bereavement.