̽ѡ

Louise Lundborg

Louise Lundborg

Affiliated to Research
Visiting address: Maria Aspmans gata 30A, 17164 Solna
Postal address: K2 Medicin, Solna, K2 KEP Stephansson, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • Please feel free to contact me by email or by phone at +46 70 725 88 09.

    I completed my PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the Department of Medicine, ̽ѡ, in 2022. My doctoral work reappraised labour duration and modern definitions of “normal” progress, aiming to strike the right balance between necessary and unnecessary interventions during childbirth and thereby promote both clinical safety and psychological well-being for women and infants. All four of my studies used quantitative data from the Stockholm–Gotland obstetric database, linked to national health and other registries.

    Clinically, I have a postion at Karolinska Universitets sjukhuset as Senior Consultant Midwife, combining clinical work with Quality Improvement & Research.

    Parallel to my research I served as Vice President of the Swedish Midwifery Association between 2022-2024.

     

    Appointments & Education

    • 4-year Postdoctoral Research Grant, Region Stockholm (2022–2026)
    • PhD, Epidemiology & Medical Science, ̽ѡ
      “Safe labour – reappraisal of labour duration and clinical management for improved maternal and infant outcome” (2018–2022)
    • Research School for Clinicians in Epidemiology, ̽ѡ (2018–2020)
    • MSc Medical Science, Midwifery Science, Uppsala University (2016)
    • Higher Education in Health Science, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall (2015)
    • Registered Midwife, ̽ѡ (2005–2007)
    • Registered Nurse, Sophiahemmets Högskola (1995–2000)

     

    Awarded 

    • Alvarenga Prize, Swedish Society of Medicine (2023)
      Established by the bequest of Professor Pedro Francesco da Costa Alvarenga, this prize rewards valuable, unpublished manuscripts by Swedish authors in the field of ̽ѡ research.
    • Karolina Widerström Scholarship, Women Academics Association (2020)
      Awarded for scientific accomplishment and strong potential in research on women’s health from a life-course perspective.
    • Operation Kvinnofrid Peace Prize, County Administrative Board (2017)
      In recognition of project leadership for the Amel educational initiative—Sweden’s first specialized clinic for women subjected to genital mutilation—which has significantly raised professional awareness of the practice and its consequences.

Research

  • Current Position & Research Focus
    I hold a four-year Postdoctoral Research Grant at the Clinical Epidemiology Division, ̽ѡ, where my work centers on the effects of ̽ѡ interventions during labor—particularly the administration of oxytocin—and both short-term and long-term outcomes in offspring. Leveraging Sweden’s national health and population registers, I employ epidemiological methods alongside qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to answer clinical important questions such as:

     

    How does exogenous versus endogenous oxytocin influence labor progression and maternal–infant outcomes?

    Which clinical practices support genuine shared decision-making in childbirth?

    What contextual and interpersonal factors shape women’s birth experiences?

     

    Major Projects & Collaborations

     

    PICRINO Trial (Nationwide Stepped-Wedge RCT)
    Testing the WHO Labor Care Guide as a new tool for labor monitoring in multiple Swedish delivery units. I coordinate implementation, data collection, and register linkage to evaluate clinical, psychological, and health-economic endpoints.

     

    Continuity of Care Model (Caseload Midwifery)
    Evaluating the “Min BM” model at Karolinska University Hospital, where a named midwife follows women through pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care. My mixed-methods study explores impacts on clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and care equity.

     

    Continuous Support During Labor
    Assessing the impact of one-to-one continuous support (e.g., midwife presence) on labor duration, intervention rates, and maternal satisfaction in both low- and high-risk populations

     

    Chronic Conditions & Pregnancy
    Examining how preexisting maternal chronic diseases (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune disorders) affect pregnancy trajectories, intervention needs, and perinatal outcomes—integrating registry-based risk modeling

     

    Oxytocin Use & Outcomes
    Examining how different exogenous oxytocin dosing regimens—and the interplay with women’s endogenous oxytocin release—affect labor progress, rates of operative delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, and early neonatal adaptation. We link detailed infusion data from delivery records with national health registers to:

    Model dose–response relationships and identify optimal infusion protocols

    Explore variation in clinical practice 

    Investigate longer-term child outcomes (e.g., neurodevelopment) in relation to intrapartum oxytocin exposure

     

    Inequity & Racism in Maternity Care
    In partnership with Stockholm University, I’m investigating structural and interpersonal racism within Swedish maternity services—combining registry analyses with qualitative interviews to map disparities and inform policy.

     

    Methodological Expertise

     

    • Epidemiology & Register-Based Research
    • Qualitative Methods (in-depth interviews, focus groups, thematic analysis)
    • Shared Decision-Making Frameworks in maternity care
    • Oxytocin Physiology & Clinical Application
    •  

    Expert & Steering Roles

    Member of the steering group, Ö (Sveriges Kommuner och Landstings Försäkringsbolag) Advisor

    ääٲԻ徱ٱ (Swedish Gender Equality Agency) Consultant

    Socialstyrelsen (National Board of Health and Welfare)

Teaching

    • Supervisor for Marshid Abdi Shahshahani
    • Supervisor for Anna Halldelius Doctoral Student Linköpings Universitet, Midwifery continous support during labor.
    • Teaching Research School for Clinicians in Epidemiology, ̽ѡ 
    • Supevisor for Masterstudent in Global Health. 
    • Supervisor for Midwifery students thesis projects
    • Barnmorskeprogrammet, Midwifery education ̽ѡ and Uppsala University
    • Amelprojektet, Education project, project leading and teaching about Female Genital Mutilation
    • CEPS, Neonatal resuscitation instructor for clinical training 
    • Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course instructor

Selected publications

  • Article: PAEDIATRIC AND PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2024;38(5):383-393
    Lundborg L; Joseph KS; Lisonkova S; Chan W-S; Wen Q; Ananth CV; Razaz N
  • Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2023;13(1):12569
    Lundborg L; Aberg K; Sandstrom A; Liu X; Tilden EL; Bolk J; Ladfors LV; Stephansson O; Ahlberg M
  • Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY. 2023;228(5):S1025-S1036.e9
    Tilden EL; Caughey AB; Ahlberg M; Lundborg L; Wikstrom A-K; Liu X; Ng K; Lapidus J; Sandstrom A
  • Conference publication: ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. 2023;102:17-18
    Lundborg L; Cnattingius S; Ananth CV; Razaz N; Joseph KS
  • Conference publication: ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. 2023;102:34
    Lundborg L; Aberg K; Sandstrom A; Liu X; Tilden E; Bolk J; Ladfors LV; Stephansson O; Ahlberg M
  • Article: PAEDIATRIC AND PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2022;36(3):358-367
    Lundborg L; Aberg K; Sandstrom A; Liu X; Tilden E; Stephansson O; Ahlberg M
  • Article: PLOS ONE. 2020;15(9):e0239724
    Lundborg L; Aberg K; Sandstrom A; Discacciati A; Tilden EL; Stephansson O; Ahlberg M

Articles

  • Journal article: BJOG-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY. 2025
    Lundborg L
  • Article: BIRTH-ISSUES IN PERINATAL CARE. 2025;52(1):146-156
    Lundborg L; Aberg K; Liu X; Norman M; Stephansson O; Pettersson K; Ekborn M; Cnattingius S; Ahlberg M
  • Article: BJOG-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY. 2025;132(1):44-52
    Lundborg L; Ananth CV; Joseph KS; Cnattingius S; Razaz N
  • Article: PLOS ONE. 2025;20(3):e0316336
    Isgren AR; Korsoski R; Abrahamsson T; Wendel SB; Kallen K; Lundborg L; Remaeus K; Thomas K; Wikstrom A-K; Carlsson Y; Blomberg M
  • Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY. 2024;232(6):563.e1-563.e12
    Tilden EL; Kissler K; Myatt L; Lundborg L; Turney M; Bovbjerg ML; Erickson EN
  • Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2024;14(1):22152
    Ladfors LV; Liu X; Sandstrom A; Lundborg L; Butwick AJ; Muraca GM; Snowden JM; Ahlberg M; Stephansson O
  • Article: BJOG-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY. 2024;131(6):832-842
    Kogner L; Lundborg L; Liu X; Ladfors LV; Ahlberg M; Stephansson O; Sandstrom A
  • Article: JOURNAL OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. 2021;13(4):334-339
    Boisen C; Gilmore N; Wahlberg A; Lundborg L
  • Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2021;11(1):13843
    Lundborg L; Liu X; Aberg K; Sandstroem A; Tilden EL; Stephansson O; Ahlberg M
  • Article: MIDWIFERY. 2019;77:95-100
    Lundborg L; Andersson I-M; Hoglund B

All other publications

  • Conference publication: ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. 2023;102:37
    Ahlberg M; Aberg K; Lundborg L; Norman M; Stephansson O; Pettersson K; Ekborn M; Cnattingius S
  • Conference publication: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY. 2023;228(1):S175
    Ladfors LV; Liu X; Sandstrom A; Lundborg L; Snowden JM; Ahlberg M; Stephansson O
  • Conference publication: ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. 2023;102:7
    Kogner L; Lundborg L; Liu X; Ladfors L; Ahlberg M; Stephansson O; Sandstrom A
  • Preprint: AUTHOREA. 2022
    Ahlberg M; Aberg K; Lundborg L; Liu X; Norman M; Stephansson O; Pettersson K; Ekborn M; Cnattingius S
  • Doctoral thesis: 2022
    Lundborg L
  • Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2021
    Lundborg L; Liu X; Åberg K; Sandström A; Tilden EL; Stephansson O; Ahlberg M

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2027

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Medicine, ̽ѡ, 2024-2027

Degrees and Education

  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Medicine, Solna, ̽ѡ, 2022
  • Graduate Diploma In Midwifery, ̽ѡ, 2007

News from KI

Events from KI