About me
I have a PhD (2015) and I am Associate Professor (2023) at the Division of Physiotherapy, Dept of Neurobiology, Health Care Sciences and Society, where I work as a researcher and teacher. I am a registered physiotherapist and my clinical background is in the primary healthcare. I have also worked with the implementation of Physical activity on prescription (FaR) in the Stockholm County, as a course coordinator for the Doctoral school of research in family medicine, KI/SLL, and as a postdoc researcher at Aging Research Center 2018/19. I have ongoing collaborations with researchers at Arizona State University and at the University of Queensland, where I also have been a visiting postdoc. During 2023 I have been guest researcher at Stockholm Gerontology Research Center.
Research description
My research mainly focuses on physical activity, sedentary behavior and health, and on objective assessment of physical activity (accelerometry). I am a member of Professor Hagströmer's research group "Physical activity and Sports medicine with focus on prevention" and have investigated the associations of objectively assessed sedentary time and physical activity with mortality and morbidity in a Swedish population-based cohort (the ABC-study) with 15 years follow-up.
I have received a postdoctoral grant as a SFO-V fellow from the Strategic Research Area Health Care Science at KI, 2018/19. In my postdoc project I investigated objectively assessed sedentary behavior and its association with cognitive function in over 650 older women and men, participating in the Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K).
The overall aim of my thesis was to explore correlates for physical activity in older adults with osteoporosis and to evaluate whether a specific, progressive balance-training program focusing on dual- and multi-task exercises had effects on objectively measured habitual physical activity and health-related quality of life.
I collaborate with Associate Professor Elisabeth Rydwik in a research project within the area of preoperative exercise with a focus on older people with abdominal cancer and a development and evaluation of an e-health tool to support preoperative exercise.
Additional publications:
Professional Associations for Physical Activity. Dohrn IM, Jansson E, Börjesson M, Hagströmer M, (Eds.) FYSS 2021. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (in Swedish: FYSS 2021. Fysisk aktivitet i sjukdomsprevention och sjukdomsbehandling) Stockholm: Läkartidningen Förlag AB; 2021. ISBN: 978-91-985098-2-3
Helbostad J, Frändin K, Dohrn IM. Rekommendationer om fysisk aktivitet och stillasittande för äldre. In: FYSS 2021. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, Stockholm: Läkartidningen Förlag AB; 2021. ISBN: 978-91-985098-2-3
Kallings LV, Eriksson M, Lundqvist S, Dohrn IM. Fysisk aktivitet på recept – FaR. In: FYSS 2021. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, Stockholm: Läkartidningen Förlag AB; 2021. ISBN: 978-91-985098-2-3
Hagströmer M, Leijon M, Eriksson U, Dohrn IM. Åtta insatser för att främja fysisk aktivitet – som fungerar! In: FYSS 2021. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, Stockholm: Läkartidningen Förlag AB; 2021. ISBN: 978-91-985098-2-3
Dohrn IM, Vidlund E. Fysioterapeutens perspektiv på stillasittande. In: Ekblom Bak E (Red.), Långvarigt stillasittande - en hälsofara i tiden? Lund: Studentlitteratur; 2021. ISBN: 978-91-4413-867-1
Dohrn IM. Stillasittande och äldre. In: Ekblom Bak E (Red.), Långvarigt stillasittande - en hälsofara i tiden? Lund: Studentlitteratur; 2021. ISBN:978-91-4413-867-1
Dohrn IM, Börjesson M, Emtner M. (Red.) Fysisk aktivitet som medicin – en praktisk handbok utifrån FYSS. Stockholm: SISU Idrottsböcker; 2018. ISBN: 978-91-7727-035-5
Dohrn IM. Sport prescription in Sweden, an effective tool? Sport et Santé en Europe/Sport and Health in Europe, Sport & Citizenship, Sept 2014.
Dohrn IM, Lundin M, Nilsson-Wikmar L. Sjukgymnastiskt vårdprogram för gravida med rygg/bäckensmärta - en pilotstudie. Nordisk Fysioterapi 2002;6(1):35-40
Teaching portfolio
My areas of teaching expertise are in physical activity and health, Physical activity on prescription (FaR), objective assessment of sedentary behavior and physical activity, and physical activity older adults. I am the course leader for the freestanding courses "Physical Activity as Prevention FYSS/FaR" and "Prevention and Treatment of Unhealthy Lifestyle" (7.5 credits). I teach at the Physiotherapy program, the Medicine program, and advanced courses at KI. I also teach doctoral level courses at KI, and I have been responsible for course planning and course syllabus as a course coordinator for the Doctoral school of research in family medicine.
Education
2015 Doctoral degree, Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet
- Thesis title: Physical activity and health-related quality of life in older adults with osteoporosis. Supervisors: Professor Agneta Ståhle, associate professor Maria Hagströmer and professor Mai-Lis Hellenius.
2008 Master of Science, Physiotherapy, Karolinska Institutet
1988 University diploma, Physiotherapy, Karolinska Institutet
Academic honours, awards and prizes
Best Oral Presentation in Medicine/Physiology, Swedish Association for Physical Activity and Sports Medicine Conference 2019