We conduct clinical and translational research to improve care for the nearly two million patients who require emergency medical care in Sweden each year. Our research group, part of Sweden's first emergency physician–led emergency department, pursues research spanning the full breadth of emergency medicine — from mechanistic basic science in microcirculation and imaging technology, through clinical trials of diagnostics, assessment and treatment methods, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, to data-driven prediction methods and research encompassing patient experiences and the psychological dimensions of acute illness. The group currently comprises approximately 20 members, primarily physicians and nurses, but also biologists, engineers, and programmers, as well as visiting researchers. We maintain an active doctoral education program in emergency medicine, and several of our doctoral students hold their primary employment in other health care regions.
Emergency Medicine Research Center (EMRC)
The research and development unit of the Emergency Department at Linköping University Hospital was started in 2016. In 2021, the Emergency Department became Sweden's first university healthcare unit in emergency medicine.
Collaborate with us
We receive numerous inquiries regarding study visits, collaborations, and opportunities for degree projects, doctoral education, or other forms of joint work. We welcome all such inquiries. To manage the high volume of requests, we direct inquiries to the contact channels listed below. We process incoming requests on an ongoing basis and can typically respond within two weeks.
Collaboration
We prioritize research collaborations related to projects within our areas of focus, particularly those with clear synergies for both parties.
Note: Purely commercial inquiries — for example, concerning contract research — should be directed through Region Östergötland's official channels and are not handled by individual investigators.
Degree Projects and Student Work
We have extensive experience supervising students in degree projects at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. To maintain the quality of supervision, the number of students we can accept each term is limited; applicants should therefore submit their requests well in advance. We generally prioritize projects aligned with our areas of focus, but we also welcome concrete proposals outside those areas, provided the applicant can articulate a compelling rationale.
Doctoral Education
Our group currently includes approximately ten doctoral students, and we host one to two thesis defenses per year. Several of our doctoral students hold their primary appointments outside Linköping University and Region Östergötland — in other regions as well as in the private sector. We have considerable experience with remote supervision and regard it as a central mission to enable high-quality doctoral education even in settings where clinical emergency medicine is still developing. In general, this requires that the applicant holds a position as a resident physician, specialist physician, or advanced-practice nurse and has an employer willing to support participation in a doctoral program. We are happy to answer questions and to inform prospective students and their employers about the available opportunities.
Visiting Researchers and Postdoctoral Fellows
We maintain several international collaborations and can host visiting researchers at the postdoctoral level or above. Investigators who hold a doctoral degree and are interested in collaboration are encouraged to contact: daniel.wilhelms@liu.se
Examination and Review Assignments
For requests involving thesis committee membership, external examination (opponent), mid-term review, or evaluation of academic appointments, we recommend direct contact with the relevant researcher. Alternatively, inquiries may be directed to our subject representative, who can assist in identifying suitable candidates. The community of emergency medicine researchers in Sweden remains relatively small, and we prioritize providing expert review when needed.
Study Visits
We receive numerous requests for study visits — both to our clinical operations and to our research laboratory. We accept nearly all such requests, as we consider visits a valuable opportunity. However, we generally require several months' notice to arrange visits appropriately. Prospective visitors should consider what topics they wish to learn more about and contact us well in advance. For inquiries, please contact: joakim.henricson@liu.se
News
Publications
Selected publications
- M. Jörg, M. Öster, J. Wretborn, D.B. Wilhelms, Agreement of pCO2 in venous to arterial blood gas conversion models in undifferentiated emergency patients. Intensive Care Medicine Experimental, volume 11, Article number: 80 (2023)
- Hörlin, E., S. Munir Ehrlington, J. Henricson, R.T. John and D. Wilhelms, Is the clinical frailty scale feasible to use in an emergency department setting? A mixed methods study. BMC Emergency Medicine, 2023. 23, Article number: 124 (2023)
- Wretborn, J., M. Jörg, P. Benjaminsson Nyberg and D.B. Wilhelms, Risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19 during 2020; a retrospective cross-sectional study in a Swedish health care system. Scientific Reports, 2023. 13(1): p. 5469.
- Ardsby, M., F. Shayo, F.M. Sakita, D. Wilhelms, B. Moshi, P. Frankiewicz, L.L. Silva, C.A. Staton, B. Mmbaga and A. Joiner, Emergency unit capacity in Northern Tanzania: a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open, 2023. 13(2): p. e068484.
- Wretborn, J., U. Ekelund and D. B. Wilhelms, Differentiating properties of occupancy rate and workload to estimate crowding: A Swedish national cross‐sectional study. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 2022. 3(1): p. e12648.
- Wilhelms, S.B. and D.B. Wilhelms, Airway management procedures in Swedish emergency department patients - a national retrospective study. BMC Emergency Medicine, 2022. 22(1): p. 67.
- Hörlin, E., S. Munir Ehrlington, J. Henricson, R.T. John and D. Wilhelms, Inter-rater reliability of the Clinical Frailty Scale by staff members in a Swedish emergency department setting. Academic Emergency Medicine, 2022. 29(12): p. 1431-1437.
- Henricson, J., F. Sjoberg, F. Iredahl, T. Stromberg and D. Wilhelms, In vivo dose-response analysis to acetylcholine: pharmacodynamic assessment by polarized reflectance spectroscopy. Sci Rep, 2022. 12(1): p. 6594.
- Henricson, J., U. Ekelund, J. Hartman, B. Ziegler, L. Kurland and D. Björk Wilhelms, Pathways to the emergency department - a national, cross-sectional study in Sweden. BMC Emergency Medicine, 2022. 22(1): p. 58.
- Davidson, L.T., E. Gauffin, P. Henanger, M. Wajda, D. Wilhelms, B. Ekman, H. Arnqvist, M. Schilling and I.S. Chisalita, Admission of patients with chest pain and/or breathlessness from the emergency department in relation to risk assessment and copeptin levels-an observational study. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 2022. 127(1).
- Crilly, J., Y.L. Huang, M. Krahe, D. Wilhelms, U. Ekelund, E. Hörlin, J. Hayes and G. Keijzers, Research priority setting in emergency care: A scoping review. Journal of the American college of emergency physicians open, 2022. 3(6): p. e12852.
- Wretborn, J., H. Starkenberg, T. Ruge, D.B. Wilhelms and U. Ekelund, Validation of the modified Skåne emergency department assessment of patient load (mSEAL) model for emergency department crowding and comparison with international models; an observational study. BMC Emergency Medicine, 2021. 21(1): p. 21.
- Wretborn, J., M. Jörg, P. Benjaminsson Nyberg and D.B. Wilhelms, Risk of venous thromboembolism in a Swedish healthcare system during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A retrospective cross‐sectional study. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open, 2021. 2(5): p. e12530.
- Wilhelms, S.B. and D.B. Wilhelms, Emergency department admissions to the intensive care unit–a national retrospective study. BMC emergency medicine, 2021. 21(1): p. 1-9.
- Holmbom, M., M. Andersson, S. Berg, D. Eklund, P. Sobczynski, D. Wilhelms, A. Moberg, M. Fredrikson, Å.Ö. Balkhed and H. Hanberger, Prehospital delay is an important risk factor for mortality in community-acquired bloodstream infection (CA-BSI): a matched case–control study. BMJ open, 2021. 11(11): p. e052582.
- Henricson, J., J. Glasin, S. Rindebratt and D. Wilhelms, Respiratory rate monitoring in healthy volunteers by central photoplethysmography compared to capnography. Journal of Biophotonics, 2021: p. e202100270.
- Wretborn, J., J. Henricson, U. Ekelund and D.B. Wilhelms, Prevalence of crowding, boarding and staffing levels in Swedish emergency departments - a National Cross Sectional Study. BMC Emergency Medicine, 2020. 20(1): p. 50.
- Greenslade, J.H., M. Wallis, A.N.B. Johnston, E. Carlstrom, D.B. Wilhelms and J. Crilly, Key occupational stressors in the ED: an international comparison. Emerg Med J, 2020. 37(2): p. 106-111.
- Brito, H.O., D. Radulski, D.B. Wilhelms, A. Stojakovic, L.M.O. Brito, R.M. Gil da Costa, E. Trindade, D. Engblom, C.R.C. Franco and A.R. Zampronio, Immune-mediated febrile response in female rats: Role of central hypothalamic mediators. Scientific Reports, 2020. 10(1): p. 4073.
- Wretborn, J., U. Ekelund and D.B. Wilhelms, Emergency Department Workload and Crowding During a Major Electronic Health Record Breakdown. Front Public Health, 2019. 7(267): p. 267.
- Toll John, R., J. Henricson, C.D. Anderson and D. Bjork Wilhelms, Man versus machine: comparison of naked-eye estimation and quantified capillary refill. Emerg Med J, 2019. 36(8): p. 465-471.
- Greenslade, J.H., M.C. Wallis, A. Johnston, E. Carlström, D. Wilhelms, O. Thom, L. Abraham and J. Crilly, Development of a revised Jalowiec Coping Scale for use by emergency clinicians: a cross-sectional scale development study. BMJ Open, 2019. 9(12): p. e033053.
- Glasin, J., J. Henricson, L.G. Lindberg and D. Wilhelms, Wireless vitals-Proof of concept for wireless patient monitoring in an emergency department setting. J Biophotonics, 2019. 12(4): p. e201800275.
- Fagerstrom, J., M. Bang, D. Wilhelms and M.S. Chew, LiSep LSTM: A Machine Learning Algorithm for Early Detection of Septic Shock. Sci Rep, 2019. 9(1): p. 15132.
- Wilhelms, D.B., H. Dock, H.O. Brito, E. Pettersson, A. Stojakovic, J. Zajdel, D. Engblom, E. Theodorsson, M.L. Hammar and A.E. Spetz Holm, CGRP Is Critical for Hot Flushes in Ovariectomized Mice. Front Pharmacol, 2018. 9(1452): p. 1452.
- Wilhelms, D., F. Sjoberg and M. Chew, Emergency medicine is about collaboration, not monopolisation. Eur J Anaesthesiol, 2018. 35(3): p. 231-232.
- Klawonn, A.M., D.B. Wilhelms, S.H. Lindstrom, A.K. Singh, M. Jaarola, J. Wess, M. Fritz and D. Engblom, Muscarinic M4 Receptors on Cholinergic and Dopamine D1 Receptor-Expressing Neurons Have Opposing Functionality for Positive Reinforcement and Influence Impulsivity. Front Mol Neurosci, 2018. 11: p. 139.
- John, R.T., J. Henricson, G.E. Nilsson, D. Wilhelms and C.D. Anderson, Reflectance spectroscopy: to shed new light on the capillary refill test. J Biophotonics, 2018. 11(1).
- John, R.T., J. Henricson, J. Junker, C.O. Jonson, G.E. Nilsson, D. Wilhelms and C.D. Anderson, A cool response-The influence of ambient temperature on capillary refill time. J Biophotonics, 2018. 11(6): p. e201700371.
- Nilsson, A., D.B. Wilhelms, E. Mirrasekhian, M. Jaarola, A. Blomqvist and D. Engblom, Inflammation-induced anorexia and fever are elicited by distinct prostaglandin dependent mechanisms, whereas conditioned taste aversion is prostaglandin independent. Brain Behav Immun, 2017. 61: p. 236-243.
- Henricson, J., R. Toll John, C.D. Anderson and D. Bjork Wilhelms, Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy: Getting the Capillary Refill Test Under One's Thumb. J Vis Exp, 2017(130).
- Fritz, M., A.M. Klawonn, A. Nilsson, A.K. Singh, J. Zajdel, D.B. Wilhelms, M. Lazarus, A. Lofberg, M. Jaarola, U.O. Kugelberg, T.R. Billiar, D.J. Hackam, C.P. Sodhi, M.D. Breyer, J. Jakobsson, M. Schwaninger, G. Schutz, J.R. Parkitna, C.B. Saper, A. Blomqvist, and D. Engblom, Prostaglandin-dependent modulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission elicits inflammation-induced aversion in mice. J Clin Invest, 2016. 126(2): p. 695-705.
- Brito, H.O., D.R. Radulski, D.B. Wilhelms, A. Stojakovic, L.M. Brito, D. Engblom, C.R. Franco and A.R. Zampronio, Female Sex Hormones Influence the Febrile Response Induced by Lipopolysaccharide, Cytokines and Prostaglandins but not by Interleukin-1beta in Rats. J Neuroendocrinol, 2016. 28(10).
- Bjork Wilhelms, D., E. Mirrasekhian, J. Zajdel, A. Kumar Singh and D. Engblom, Cyclooxygenase Isoform Exchange Blocks Brain-Mediated Inflammatory Symptoms. PLoS One, 2016. 11(11): p. e0166153.
- Wilhelms, D.B., M. Kirilov, E. Mirrasekhian, A. Eskilsson, U.O. Kugelberg, C. Klar, D.A. Ridder, H.R. Herschman, M. Schwaninger, A. Blomqvist and D. Engblom, Deletion of prostaglandin E2 synthesizing enzymes in brain endothelial cells attenuates inflammatory fever. J Neurosci, 2014. 34(35): p. 11684-90.
- Ruud, J., D.B. Wilhelms, A. Nilsson, A. Eskilsson, Y.J. Tang, P. Strohle, R. Caesar, M. Schwaninger, T. Wunderlich, F. Backhed, D. Engblom and A. Blomqvist, Inflammation- and tumor-induced anorexia and weight loss require MyD88 in hematopoietic/myeloid cells but not in brain endothelial or neural cells. FASEB J, 2013. 27(5): p. 1973-80.
- Engstrom Ruud, L., D.B. Wilhelms, A. Eskilsson, A.M. Vasilache, L. Elander, D. Engblom and A. Blomqvist, Acetaminophen reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced fever by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2. Neuropharmacology, 2013. 71: p. 124-9.
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