Solvig Ekblad

Solvig Ekblad

Affiliated to Research | Docent
Telephone: +46852483614
Visiting address: Widerströmska huset, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C7 Lärande, Informatik, Management och Etik, C7 Övriga FG, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • -Professor of Multicultural Health and Care Research, Cultural Medicine Unit,
    Department of LIME, Karolinska Institututet (KI), since 2015, (20%).
    -Licensed psychologist at Academic Primary Health Care Center, Region
    Stockholm, since 2014
    *Some previous appointments*
    -Senior researcher, Dept of LIME (2010-2014)
    -PI Section for stress research, KI (1986-94), Head (IPM, migration and
    health, 1994-2007), group leader (Stress Research Institute 2007-2010)
    -Guest professor, 15%, Malmö University, Faculty of Health and Society
    -Adjunct lecturer, 20% Dept of Neurotec, KI, Center for Psychiatric Research
    Stocholm
    -Clinical psychologist 1974-1985 (psychiatry), community (1986), primary
    health care (2014-, 40%)
    Graduated as B.A. Psychology, Sociology, Pedagogy, University of Uppsala,
    1972 and M.A. Psychology, University of Umeå, 1974
    Doctor Medical Sciences, PhD (psychiatry), Karolinska Institutet (KI),
    Huddinge university hospital, Dept of psychiatry, Title: Social Determinants
    of Aggressive Behaviour in a Sample of Chinese Primary School Children,
    supervisor: professor Bengt Jansson, MD, PhD, 1986
    Visiting scientists (1 v) prof Michael Rutter, London University 1986 and in
    PRChina 1988-1990
    Associate Professor in Transcultural Psychology at Karolinska Institutet,
    1992, Professor competence 2006 (KI- Dnr 176/05-221)
    Licensed psychologist, National Board of Health and Welfare, 1978

Research

  • Our increasingly global and multicultural society alongside an egalitarian
    and sustainable health care policy places new demands on us all. My research
    area is in multicultural health and care research. I give four projects as
    examples:
    1. Early mental health promotion measures are needed. Events that elicit
    stress after arrival in the reception country, “postmigration stress”,
    have a negative impact on health-related quality of life among newcomers. An
    innovative model, adapted from a Harvard model (professor Richard Mollica) of
    culturally tailored health promotion groups for refugees have been performed
    by my research group among newcoming refugees and relatives in several
    Swedish contexts with promising results. The results are of significance not
    only for the individual and his/her relatives but also for healthcare and
    society as a whole. We have collaborated before Covid-19 in several
    communities, on a small scale. After Covid-19, a pilot study is at present
    performed at Röda Korsets folkhögskola, Skärholmen (KI-Stockholm city
    agreement). This intervention is also significant for chronic patients as
    foreign borns have higher amount of public health disorders (eg diabetes,
    heart problems, cancer) than the Swedish borns.
    2. Technological progress and changes in health care practices, with an
    increased focus on clinical communication and contemplation, have
    successively led to the increased use of simulation models (Virtual patients
    including Virtual interpreter and Virtual supervisor) as a method of
    instruction, learning and clinical interviewing within the field of medicine.
    To achieve this, my research group have chosen a strategy of developing
    computerised patient simulations in national (SU) and international (Harvard)
    collaborations, where medical students and in future psychology students and
    resident doctors can practice and provide feedback to a virtual counsellor. A
    new project funded by FORTE and ALF-Ped is entitled “Virtual Clinical
    Encounters between doctors and refugee patients for medical assessment and
    follow-up: To develop, test and evaluate the impact on empathy” (Erica
    Rothlind, PhD in 2020). Publications:
    Rothlind, E., Fors, U., Salminen, H., Wändell, P., & Ekblad, S. (2021).
    Virtual patients reflecting the clinical reality of primary care - a useful
    tool to improve cultural competence. /BMC Med Educ, 21/(1), 270.
    doi:10.1186/s12909-021-02701-z
    Rothlind, E. (2020). /Overlooking health acculturation: a grounded theory
    study illustrating the complexity of intercultural consultation in Swedish
    primary care. //Diss./ Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.
    Rothlind, E., Fors, U., Salminen, H., Wandell, P., & Ekblad, S. (2020). The
    informal curriculum of family medicine - what does it entail and how is it
    taught to residents? A systematic review. /BMC Fam Pract, 21/(1), 49.
    doi:10.1186/s12875-020-01120-1
    Rothlind, E., Fors, U., Salminen, H., Wandell, P., & Ekblad, S. (2018).
    Circling the undefined-A grounded theory study of intercultural consultations
    in Swedish primary care. /PLoS One, 13/(8), e0203383.
    doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0203383
    Rothlind E, Fors U, Salminen H, Wandell P, Ekblad S. Primary care
    consultations on emotional distress – a part of the acculturation process
    in patients with refugee backgrounds. A grounded theory approach. /Manuscript
    under review with BMC Fam Pract/. 2021:22:138.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01487-9
    3. Serious parental illness is a risk factor of ill health in the children of
    the family. Health care staff in Sweden is legally obliged to ensure that the
    children of seriously ill parents are informed and have received advice and
    support regarding their parents’ illness. In primary health care, no method
    that can help parents communicate information about their illness to their
    children exists. The aim of this doctoral project (Charlotte Oja) was to test
    the safety and effects of the psycho-educational method “Let´s Talk about
    the Children” for use in primary health care for helping seriously ill
    parents to relate information about their illness to their children.
    (Charlotte Oja, PhD, 2021), publications:
    Oja, S., Edbom, T., Nager, A., Månsson, J., Ekblad, S. Awareness of parental
    illness: a grounded theory of upholding family equilibrium in parents on
    long-term sick-leave in primary health care. Scandinavian Journal of Primary
    Health Care.Published online: 21 Jun 2021.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2021.1928835
    Oja, S., Edbom, T., Nager, A., Månsson, J., Ekblad, S. Informing children of
    their parent’s illness: A systematic review of intervention programs with
    child outcomes in all health care settings globally from Inception to 2019.
    PLOS ONE, PPS-2019-10-9, accepted May 11, published May 26.
    2020:15(5):e0233696. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone [1] 0233696
    Oja, C., Edbom, T., Nager, A., Månsson J., Ekblad, S. Alone Making Life Work
    for Both of Us- How Children Aged 11–16 View Themselves in Relation to
    Their Chronically Ill Parents in a Primary Health Care Context, International
    Journal of Adolescence and Youth,
    https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2018.1548360 [2] (No 27, 2018)
    Oja, C./ Upholding family relationships in a context of increasing awareness
    of parental illness./ Inst för neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle /
    Dept of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society
  • Dissertation KI, 2021.
    4. Translation/backtranslation and validation of General Medical Council
    Multi-Source Feedback Questionnaires for evaluation clinical competence among
    residence doctors in family medicine a pilot project and supervisor in
    VESTA (residence doctors in Family Medicine (AT/ST unit at APC).
    Publications:
    Olsson, J-E, Ekblad, S., Bertilson, BC., Toth-Pal, E. Swedish adaptation of
    the General Medical Council's Multi Source Feedback Questionnaires – A
    qualitative study. International Journal of Medical Education, 2018
  • 9:161-169
    doi:10.5116/ijme.5af6.c209
    Olsson, J-E., Wallentin, V.Y., Toth-Pal, E., Ekblad, S., Bertilson, BC.
    Psychometric analysis of the Swedish version of the General Medical
    Council’s multi-source feedback questionnaires. International Journal of
    Medical Education 2017
  • 8:252-261 https://www.ijme.net/ [3] DOI:
    10.5116/ijme.5948.0bb6
    •155 Abstracts for presentation on international conferences, 150 in
    Swedish
    •1 book (co-editor, APA), 1 book (Swedish), 1 book (co-author, Swedish) and
    1 manus
    Number of publications since 1984: 101 articles in international scientific
    journals, 55 in Swedish scientific journals, 101 book chapters (53 In
    English), 1 book, 1 book (co-editor, APA), 21 Stress Research Reports, 2
    invited commentaries, 5 guest editorials (Swedish), more than 155 abstracts
    at international scientific conferences and 150 in Swedish
    *Research cooperation outside KI:*
    Internationally with researchers from universities in Copenhagen, Denmark,
    London, UK, Harvard, USA
    Supervision: Supervised (in transcultural psychiary and psychology, public
    health and pediatric care, medical education) 12 PhDs to dissertation (1 of
    them as a co-supervisor), 2 licentiats
    Supervisor of postdocs and previously of 1 postdocs
    Undergraduate level: total 65
  • 34 (D-level in medicine, psychology, public
    health 20 weeks/30 ECT), 31 (C-level 10 weeks/15 ECT), 32 medical students T7
    or T11, own project, 7, 5 hp, 1 CHESS traineship (7, 5hp)
    •56 VESTA (CeFam, residence doctors in family medicine), 1 KVAST, 1
    ST-psychiatry, 6 ongoing VESTA
  • •International Federation of Medical Students’ Association, research
    exchange, supervision of Shichao Zhang, Medical Student, T6, PT China July
    13-August 7, 2015
    *External funding from e.g.*
    Ekblad: Intervention programs for new-coming asylum seekers and Refugees, HSN
    0803-0349 (Folkhälsoanslaget), KI, 2, 000 000 SEK (2008-11)
    Ekblad: FAS-2009-1482, A scientific national and international network in
    migration, social medicine and global mental health, KI, 300 000 SEK
    (2009-13)
    Ekblad: FAS-2007-1961, Immigrant women’s health, KI, 2 850 000 SEK + KID
    (2008-12)
    Ekblad: scientific leader, Socialstyrelsen, Platform between Södertälje
    community and Stockholm county council regarding needs and care of new-coming
    refugees, KI, 960 000 (Carlén, M, PI, Psykiatricenter Södertälje) (2010),
    approved continuation 2011, 998 000 SEK and approved continueation 2012, 998
    000 SEK (Hägglöf, C, PI, Södertälje municipality)
    Ekblad: PI, Tailored interactive training with virtual advisor encounters to
    improve under-standing and retention of basic statistics in doctoral students
    – an individualised and inter-cultural collaborative learning framework.
    KI, Dnr 3532/10-509, (2011) 200 000 SEK
    Ekblad: project partner, NIH Grant (Richard Mollica: PI, Harvard and foreign
    adjunct professor in psychiatry at KI, ) Virtual encounters-an innovative
    research and collaborative education program in the field of caring for
    traumatized patients (pilot study 2011-2012) 89 000 US$, plan to apply for
    the main RCT study Spring 2014
    Ekblad: PI, Webbased Health School for students and patients in Stockholm’s
    multicultural primary health care (Verktyg för att förbättra
    interkulturell kompetens över professionsgränser på verksamhetsförlagd
    utbildning i primärvården). ALF-ped Diarienr SLL20110292 (2012) 300 000
    SEK
  • Diarienr SLL20130186, 2014-2015, 350 000 SEK/year
    1.6miljonerklubben (PI) (Ekblad, KI partner
  • L-O Larsson Angereds närsjukhus
    partner) Lifestyle course – for female new-comers as third country
    nationals Integrationsfonden, 2012-2014 (june), 2 706 087 SEK
    Ekblad, S (PI) Virtual Clinical Encounters between doctors and refugee
    patients for medical assesment and follow-up: To develop, test and evaluate
    the impact on empathy , 2014-0853FORTE, Approved 2014-09-25 2 580 000 SEK
    2015-2017
    Main supervisor project Primary health clinics facilities to detect and
    prevent health problems in children and young people whose parents are on
    long term sick leave (Primärvårdens möjligheter att upptäcka och
    förebygga ohälsa hos barn och unga vars föräldrar är långvarigt
    sjukskrivna). Sponsor: Capio
    Expert “Health/lifestyle course to newcoming women”, to Växjö
    municipality by primary health care and Rehab centre and Public health unit,
    Landstinget Kronoberg (contacgt person: Erica Ericsson), 1/8 2014-juni
    2015, total 680 000 SEK
    *Some current commissions:*
    Mentor at KI: 1 female PhD (2010-), 1 female PhD (2012-)
    Program Co-Director (2012-)
  • Member of intl Faculty in Master Program
    “Global Mental Health – Trauma and Recovery”. 2 weeks on site and 5
    months web-based learning. Yearly 50 international students. 350 participants
    in the alumini network (www.hprt-cambridge.org)
    (2006-) “Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma – 2014 ad Oriveto Porano,
    Italy, 11, 20 minutes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EevQqD8vK-g
    Member, Examination Board at KI, 18 halfway control seminars, 22 dissertation
    seminars 1994-2015
    KID evaluator, Karolinska Institutet, Sept 3, 2013, 2014, 2015 (global
    health, qualitative methods)
    Member of Rätt till vård initiative (vårdetiskt nätver/careethical
    network) Member of right to care (http://www.vårdpapperslosa.se, 2012-
    Adjunct professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology,
    lectures in their Global Mental Health II seminar, Spring 2013 – ongoing
    (video-conference)
    Project expert in ”Health promoting interventions by taobacco prevention on
    receipt in the
    primary health care in Stockholm County Council” (PI=Tanja Tomson),
    LIME/KI, Sep 2013-
    Member of Review Panel – International Journal of Migration, Health and
    Social Care, March 27 2014-
    Medical expert in the medical reference group, 1, 6&2, 6miljonerklubben
    (www.1.6miljonerklubben.com). 2014-
    *Some previous commissions:*
    Coordinator. A scientific network for national and international PhD-studies
    in the field of migration, social medicine, global mental health, (1993-2011)
    (www.fas.se)
    Co-chair (prof Derrick Silove, NSW, Australia), Intl Committee for Mental
    Health of Migrants and Refugees, World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH)
    (1997-2000)
    Transcultural psychiatry. Scholarship in the name of prof Bengt Jansson,
    KI, 1999
    Member of Karolinska Institutet’s Ethical Council, Stockholm (2005-2009)
    Majblomman. Queen Sylvia gave the diploma at a ceremony, Castle, Stockholm,
    2006
    Member of scientific board, DIGNITY (former RCT), Copenhagen, Denmark
    (2009-2013)
    Member of scientific review group for applications (PhD students and post
    doc) to Care Sciences, KI, 2003-2009
    Examinator, international PhD, NSW, Australia, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2012
    External faculty opponent, 2006, licentiate, Umeå University
    Mentor: 2 female post doc (2002, 2008), 1 male PhD (2009-2014)
    Invited member of an Expert Panel Group in the field of Mental Health,
    Immigrant Perspective and children to parents with diseases, Evaluation of
    applications, The Research Council of Norway, Oslo, 2011, 2013
    Erasmusprogram, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), centre for
    Psychiatry, August 15-29, 2013
    Expert candidate number EX2013D152061 European Comission, November 29, 2013
    (http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/experts)
    International expert for UNHCR at seminar “Mental Health and Psychosocial
    Treatment for Victims of Trafficing, Torture and Rape, in Tel Aviv, 10-12
    December 2013
    Diplom for excellent supervision on the course Master in Medicine Spring 2012
    at Karolinska Institutet(Fanny Berger, ceremony June 5, 2014)
    [1] https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone
    [2] https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2018.1548360
    [3] https://www.ijme.net/

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Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 1992

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