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Per Nilsen

Professor

My focus is implementation science, which addresses the research-to-practice gap. I am also engaged in health services research and public health studies. Interdisciplinarity, theory use and behaviour change are common threads.

Implementation Science… and more

Implementation science is a fast-growing interdisciplinary field that has emerged in the 2000s to address challenges of translating research into practice.

I have contributed to building an ambitious implementation research program, which has attracted national and international interest. It includes annual Masters- and PhD-level courses, the latter with student applications from all the Nordic countries and beyond. I lead numerous implementation research projects, including several PhD projects.

My research interests also encompass health organization issues, patient safety, culture, leadership and workplace learning. I have also studied various public health issues, such as injury prevention, alcohol prevention and physical activity promotion. Writing is a passion. I have developed and lead The Art and Science of Scientific Writing, a PhD course which teaches principles of scientific writing.

My research interests can be traced to my varied background, including studies in behavioural economy, with graduation from Stockholm School of Economics (“Handelshögskolan”), and in systems development. Before I became a researcher in 2003, I had a 15-year career as organizational consultant in competence issues and as author of international books on artists such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Prince.

Publications

2026

Per Nilsen, Roman Kislov, Sarah A. Birken, Brian S. Mittman (2026) Too deductive too soon? Toward an inductive renewal of implementation science Implementation Science, Vol. 21, Article 31 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Rodrigo Antunes Lima, Harald Baumeister, Rudiger Pryss, Ann-Marie Kuchler, Robin Kraft, Nils Berghoff, Luzia Nagel, Manfred Reichert, Abdul Rahman Idrees, Michael Stach, Maria Melchior, Camille Davisse-Paturet, Emma Falkiner, Judith van der Waerden, Adriana Baban, Diana Taut, Ingrid Danila, Mariona Perez-Anton, Daniele Porricelli, Julia Sanguesa, Maria Victoria Moneta, Rocio Garcia-Carrion, Catrin Finkenauer, Gonneke W. J. M. Stevens, Lydia Krabbendam, Felix Bolinski, Petra Maresova, Per Nilsen, Nadine Karlsson, Natalia Moreno, Anais Le Corvec, Josep Maria Haro (2026) Study protocol of the e-Intervention Enhancing Mental Health in Adolescents (IMPROVA) project: a randomised controlled trial to promote adolescents' mental health and well-being in four European countries BMJ Open, Vol. 16, Article e108674 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Per Nilsen, Jeanette Wassar Kirk (2026) Culture eats evidence for breakfast: how culture influences implementation of evidence-based practices Implementation Science Communications, Vol. 7, Article 85 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Per Nilsen, Kristin Thomas, Hanna Augustsson Öfverström, Maria Fagerström, Kathrine Hald, Jeanette Wassar Kirk (2026) The theory behind the strategies: interpreting the expert recommendations for implementing change taxonomy through four behavioural lenses Frontiers in Health Services, Vol. 6, Article 1800608 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Hanna Augustsson Ofverstrom, Sara Ingvarsson, Emma Hedberg Rundgren, Marta Roczniewska, Henna Hasson, Per Nilsen, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz (2026) Physician-suggested strategies for deimplementing low-value care in Swedish primary care: a qualitative analysis across system levels Implementation Science Communications, Vol. 7, Article 75 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

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Research groups

Publications

Recent publications

2026

Per Nilsen, Roman Kislov, Sarah A. Birken, Brian S. Mittman (2026) Too deductive too soon? Toward an inductive renewal of implementation science Implementation Science, Vol. 21, Article 31 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Rodrigo Antunes Lima, Harald Baumeister, Rudiger Pryss, Ann-Marie Kuchler, Robin Kraft, Nils Berghoff, Luzia Nagel, Manfred Reichert, Abdul Rahman Idrees, Michael Stach, Maria Melchior, Camille Davisse-Paturet, Emma Falkiner, Judith van der Waerden, Adriana Baban, Diana Taut, Ingrid Danila, Mariona Perez-Anton, Daniele Porricelli, Julia Sanguesa, Maria Victoria Moneta, Rocio Garcia-Carrion, Catrin Finkenauer, Gonneke W. J. M. Stevens, Lydia Krabbendam, Felix Bolinski, Petra Maresova, Per Nilsen, Nadine Karlsson, Natalia Moreno, Anais Le Corvec, Josep Maria Haro (2026) Study protocol of the e-Intervention Enhancing Mental Health in Adolescents (IMPROVA) project: a randomised controlled trial to promote adolescents' mental health and well-being in four European countries BMJ Open, Vol. 16, Article e108674 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Per Nilsen, Jeanette Wassar Kirk (2026) Culture eats evidence for breakfast: how culture influences implementation of evidence-based practices Implementation Science Communications, Vol. 7, Article 85 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Per Nilsen, Kristin Thomas, Hanna Augustsson Öfverström, Maria Fagerström, Kathrine Hald, Jeanette Wassar Kirk (2026) The theory behind the strategies: interpreting the expert recommendations for implementing change taxonomy through four behavioural lenses Frontiers in Health Services, Vol. 6, Article 1800608 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Hanna Augustsson Ofverstrom, Sara Ingvarsson, Emma Hedberg Rundgren, Marta Roczniewska, Henna Hasson, Per Nilsen, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz (2026) Physician-suggested strategies for deimplementing low-value care in Swedish primary care: a qualitative analysis across system levels Implementation Science Communications, Vol. 7, Article 75 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

Organisation