Kristina Johnell

About me

I am Head of Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB) and Professor in geriatric pharmacoepidemiology at Karolinska Institutet (KI). 

I have scientific, pedagogical and leadership commitments:

• My scientific production has led to >150 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 2 book chapters and several reports and popular science presentations
• Under my supervision, 10 PhD students have completed their studies since 2008. I am currently the main supervisor of 1 PhD student and co-supervisor of 6 PhD students
• Since 2006, as principal investigator, I have received funding from the European Union (Horizon 2020: EIT Health), the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, and from several other funding sources
• I teach in geriatric pharmacology and geriatric pharmacoepidemiology at first, second and third level university studies as well as to health care professionals and various non-academic organisations, such as senior citizens’ associations
• Since 2019, I am the Head of Department ('prefekt') of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB) (about 260 co-workers)
• In 2014-2018, I was the Division Head of the Aging Research Center (ARC) (about 80 co-workers)
• In 2015-2018, I was the Deputy Head of Department of Neurobiology, Care sciences and Society (NVS) (about 520 co-workers)
• My current and past memberships in steering groups, committees and boards include chair, co-chair and panelist in review panel at the Swedish Research Council; Chair of Special Interest Group (SIG) Geriatric Pharmacoepidemiology, International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE); Chair of The National E-Infrastructure on Aging Research (NEAR) Steering Board; Strategic management group for Stockholm’s biobank infrastructure; Evaluation panel Austrian Science Fund; Evaluation panel Foundation for Polish Science; Steering board for Aging Theme, Karolinska University Hospital; Executive management team, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society; Executive board for the Strategic Research Program in Epidemiology; the Nomination Assembly at KI; the Center for Alzheimer Research; the Academic Center for Geriodontics; and the Ethical Review Board

Research description

My major research field is geriatric pharmacoepidemiology and my specific areas of research include:

• Personalised drug treatment
• Inappropriate drug use in older people
• Adverse drug events in elderly persons
• Drug therapy in people with dementia
• Drug treatment at end-of-life
• Inequalities in older people’s drug therapy
• Decision support for drug treatment of elderly patients
• Translational research of medications
• Register-based pharmacoepidemiology

Education

2010 Associate Professor (Docent), Karolinska Institutet (KI)

2005 PhD in general medicine, KI

2004 Licentiate in public health sciences; family medicine, KI

2002 MSc Pharm (licensed pharmacist), Uppsala University

1999 Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), Malta

Academic honours, awards and prizes

2017 Outstanding Female Academic, Nature Publishing Group and the Robert Bosch Stiftung (AcademiaNet)

2016- Professor in geriatric pharmacoepidemiology

2014 Article selected by Faculty of 1000 (F1000Prime)

2013- Editorial board for Drugs and Aging

2012 Strategic Research Program in Epidemiology Young Scholar Award

2012 Young researcher award, Karolinska Institutet

2012- Peer-reviewer for international and national funding agencies, including the Swedish Research Council and the European Union (Horizon 2020)

2008-2012 The Swedish Research Council - 4-year position as Assistant Professor

2005- Invited lecturer and chair at several national and international conferences

2005- Peer-reviewer for 35 international journals, including the Lancet