KaBris - the collaboration
KaBris is an annual Swedish–UK meeting that sustains and advances an active research collaboration in psychiatric epidemiology. Each meeting builds on ongoing partnerships while creating space for new ideas, methods development, and future joint initiatives across population mental health, register-based research, genetics, and clinical cohorts.
Hosted in rotation between partner institutions, KaBris provides an interactive forum for presenting ongoing research, developing new collaborations, and advancing methodological innovation.
KaBris 2026 will be hosted at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm (9-11 September 2026).
A brief history
KaBris began more than 25 years ago as a collaboration between researchers at Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the University of Bristol interested in collaborating on register-based research in psychiatric epidemiology. The name “KaBris” reflects these origins (Karolinska–Bristol), but the collaboration has since expanded to include colleagues from University College London (UCL), King’s College London (KCL), Cambridge, Bath, Drexel University (USA), NTNU (Norway), Aarhus (Denmark) and other collaborative partners.
Today, KaBris represents a sustained international platform for psychiatric epidemiology spanning multiple universities and disciplines.
Over the years, the collaboration has facilitated:
- Numerous research exchanges between KI and UK institutions
- PhD and postdoctoral projects based on Swedish register data and UK cohorts
- Joint supervision and research training opportunities
- Successful grant applications and long-term funded collaborations
- More than 50 joint peer-reviewed publications, including in JAMA, Nature Medicine, BMJ, PloS Medicine, Lancet Psychiatry, and JAMA Psychiatry
Throughout its history, the KaBris meetings have maintained a distinctive format: short presentations of ongoing work, extended discussion sessions, and structured opportunities for collaborative planning. This emphasis on dialogue and mentorship has been central to its success.
Selected joint publications
Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability.
Ahlqvist VH, Sjöqvist H, Dalman C, Karlsson H, Stephansson O, Johansson S, Magnusson C, Gardner RM, Lee BK
JAMA 2024 Apr;331(14):1205-1214
Parental inflammatory bowel disease and autism in children.
Sadik A, Dardani C, Pagoni P, Havdahl A, Stergiakouli E, , Khandaker GM, Sullivan SA, Zammit S, Jones HJ, Davey Smith G, Dalman C, Karlsson H, Gardner RM, Rai D
Nat Med 2022 Jul;28(7):1406-1411
Antiseizure medication use during pregnancy and children's neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Madley-Dowd P, Ahlqvist VH, Forbes H, Rast JE, Martin FZ, Zhong C, Barry CS, Berglind D, Lundberg M, Lyall K, Newschaffer CJ, Tomson T, Davies NM, Magnusson C, Rai D, Lee BK
Nat Commun 2024 Nov;15(1):9640
Association of Hydroxylmethyl Glutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitors, L-Type Calcium Channel Antagonists, and Biguanides With Rates of Psychiatric Hospitalization and Self-Harm in Individuals With Serious Mental Illness.
Hayes JF, Lundin A, Wicks S, Lewis G, Wong ICK, Osborn DPJ, Dalman C
JAMA Psychiatry 2019 Apr;76(4):382-390
Past meetings
KaBris meetings are held annually and rotate between partner institutions in Sweden and the UK.
Past events, locations, and hosts:
September 2025 – London – KCL/UCL
September 2024 – Bristol – University of Bristol
September 2023 – Stockholm – Karolinska Institutet
September 2022 – Cambridge – UCL/Cambridge University
September 2021 – Virtual meeting – University of Bristol