Göran Pershagen

I head the Unit of Environmental Epidemiology at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and am senior physician in the Unit of Environmental Medicine at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Stockholm County Council. These two units have close collaboration and include expertise in epidemiology, environmental health, exposure assessment, allergology, pediatrics, cardiology and toxicology. Overall, there are three professors, three associate professors, seven researchers, five postdocs and 14 PhD students as well as several support staff in statistics, database management My research is focused on health risks associated with exposure to air pollution and noise as well as on risk factors for asthma and allergy. Molecular biomarkers are extensively used to assess interactions between environmental and hereditary factors as well as to better characterize exposure and health effects. The research is based on a number of high-quality epidemiological studies, including several birth cohorts. An important goal is to identify various causes of disease associated with environment and lifestyle as a basis for preventive measures. In addition to allergic diseases my research team studies cardiovascular diseases and cancer, as well as metabolic and respiratory disorders.