Research description
The main focus of my research is on orofacial pain of muscular origin, from causes to treatment in both children and adults. It is well known, that the impact of pain in the orofacial region is not only the unpleasant sensory experience but also an emotional experience. These chronic pain conditions affect the temporomandibular joint or the masticatory muscles as well as their associated structures. It has a prevalence of approximately 10–20% and is 1.5 to 2 times more prevalent in women.
In order to improve and add new therapeutical tools we need to increase the knowledge of the cause, if and how orofacial pain affects jaw function, and how effective different treatment modalities are in both children and adults.
Regarding the cause of orofacial pain we are investigating the expression of pain-receptors in human muscle tissue of both healthy participants and patients with myalgia, also in a prevalence study investigating risk-factors to develop orofacial pain in young age. When it comes to jaw function we are investigating if and how jaw muscle pain affect fine motor function and chewing performance, and regarding treatment we are doing the first treatment study (in our knowledge) of myalgia and/or arthralgia of the temporomandibular joints in the growing individual in order to evaluate treatment efficacy and any possible side-effects.
I also focus on pedagogical research, specifically investigating how learning is shaped within different national and international medical and teaching programmes. One area of particular interest focuses on academic and professional writing, which includes what, how and for what purposes our students read and write.
Education
2000-06 Philology - modern Greek, Stockholm University
2002-05 DDS, Karolinska Institutet
2010-06 PhD in Medical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet Title: The serotonin receptor type 3 in chronic and experimental human muscle pain http://publications.ki.se/xmlui/discover?query=978-91-7409-752-8&submit=S%C3%B6k
2011-10 Specialist in stomatognathic physioloogy (orofacial pain), Eastmaninstitutet Folktandvården AB
2012-02 Doctoral Supervisor Training course, Karolinska Institutet
2012-12 Teaching and learning in Higher Education, Karolinska Institutet
2016-05 Specialist in Advanced Pain Medicine, Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (SSAI)
2017-01 Associate professor in odontology, Karolinska Institutet
2017-05 Open Networked Learning, Karolinska Insitutet
2018-05 The Role of Higher Education, Dalarna University
2019-11 Future Education Leaders, Karolinska Insitutet
Academic honours, awards and prizes
2007 Best Poster Award – Clinical research, Karolinska Institutet
2011 Best thesis award (during 2010-2011), Swedish Dental Society
2012 The Wiley-Blackwell Neuroscience Young Investigator Award, International Association for Dental Research (IADR)
2020 Granted for writing educational book (Bettfysiologi – Orofacial smärta och käkfunktion) - The Swedish Association of Educational Writers
2020 Member of the Pedagogical Academy at Karolinska Institutet - excellence in teaching
2022-2024 President of the Neuroscience Group of the International Association for Dental Research