Addressing familial contribution to trauma-illness links using Nordic data resources
Department of Epidemiology Seminar Series: Virtual event
Speaker: Unnur A. Valdimarsdóttir
Professor of Epidemiology, University of Iceland
Dean of the School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland
Visiting Senior Researcher, Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Adjunct Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Abstract: Most individuals are exposed to psychological trauma or other adversities during their lifetime. These adversities have been associated with an array of adverse health outcomes, including elevated risks of mental disorders and somatic diseases. Yet, the bulk of the evidence rests on studies with several limitations, including insufficient control of confounding factors that run within families. With nationwide complete registers of diagnosed diseases and family links, the Nordic countries offer unique conditions for conducting population-based studies on the health implications of trauma while accounting for familial factors. Some of these studies will be reviewed during my talk.
Bio: Unnur A. Valdimarsdóttir, is a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iceland and, since July 2024, Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Iceland (including approximately 3000 students and 500 faculty of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing/Midwifery, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Psychology and Public Health).
She is a visiting senior researcher at the Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and adjunct professor at the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Prof. Valdimarsdóttir’s research program focuses on the bidirectional relationship between trauma, stress-related psychiatric disorders and somatic disease. Mostly leveraging the Nordic population-based registers, cohorts and biobanks, she has led or co-authored ca. 280 scientific papers and as principal investigator received several international grants, including from the European Research Council (StressGene) and NordForsk (COVIDMENT).