Charlotte Willfors

I am a licensed psychologist and researcher affiliated with the Rare Diseases Group at Karolinska Institutet. My research interests lie in behavioural genetics and rare diseases, with a particular focus on behavioural phenotypes and developmental trajectories in rare genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability.

I completed my MSc in Psychology at Lund University (2003–2008), followed by a semester as a research assistant at the Dept of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley. Subsequently, I relocated to Stockholm to undertake clinical training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

In 2011, I joined Prof Sven Bölte’s research group at the Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND) [1], where I focused on identifying biological and behavioural markers of neurodevelopmental disorders in twin studies. I earned my PhD in 2017 based on this work.

Since 2017, I have held a postdoctoral position within the Rare Diseases Group at the Dept of Molecular Medicine and Surgery. My research has since concentrated on behavioural and interdisciplinary studies of rare genetic syndromes, including Turner syndrome, Williams syndrome, and Coffin-Siris syndrome. Alongside my research, I have continued clinical work. Between 2017 and 2019, I worked at a child and adolescent medical clinic conducting neuropsychiatric assessments. Since 2019, I have held a position at the Center for Rare Diseases at Karolinska University Hospital [2], where I contribute to improving care and support for individuals with rare disorders.

[1] http://ki.se/kind/start
[2] www.karolinska.se/sallsyntadiagnoser