Pembroke hosts first epidemiology collaboration between Oxford University and Karolinska Institutet

Last month, Pembroke was the backdrop for the first Oxford University and Karolinska Institutet collaboration research seminar across mental health and epidemiology. 

A group from the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry met with collaborators from Karolinska, a research-led medical university in Sweden, to discuss previous and new projects in psychiatric epidemiology. These collaborative projects draw on the unique insights offered by Swedish national population registers which serve as a valuable tool in assessing and preventing adverse outcomes in people with mental illness.

Topics explored at the seminar included research on suicide prevention, risk factors for victimization, and improving the treatment of neglected high-risk populations, such as people in prison and those who receive community sentences.

The meeting was organised by Pembroke Senior Associate, Professor Seena Fazel, who shared: ‘Pembroke provided an excellent setting to take stock on our collaborations, and think critically about new opportunities and key evidence-gaps in the field of psychiatric epidemiology.’ 

Professor Fazel recently received an Oxford Martin School programme award to study Decarceration, which will bring together an interdisciplinary team from across the University to explore ways in which we can reduce reliance on imprisonment.