University of Gothenburg
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Kerstin Persson Waye

Professor

School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Telephone
+46 31-786 36 04
+46 766-18 36 04
Mail
kerstin.persson.waye@amm.gu.se
Fax
+46 31-40 97 28
Visiting address
Guldhedsgatan 5 A, plan 4
413 20 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 453
40530 Göteborg

About Kerstin Persson Waye

Bachelor of Science within Environmental Health 1982. Between 1982- 1985 I worked with environmental and health aspects in Kungälv and Borås. In 1985, I got a temporary position within medical faculty Gothenburg University. In 1995 I achieved a PhD within Environmental Medicine, with the thesis ”On the effects of community low frequency noise”. During the following years I was able to continue research of the impacts of low frequency noise on work performance and sleep. I also started up the research field within wind turbine noise, intensive care noise, preschool noise. During the years 2002- 2003 full time and until 2005 part time I aquired a position as associate professor at the Department of Acoustics at Aalborgs university. I returned for a position as associate professor (lectorate) at Gothenburg in 2003, Docent 2006, and professor in Environmental Medicine 2009. Since then I have also been visiting professor at Örebro University, and Aachen University Germany.

Research

My primary research has focused on human response and long-term health impacts to sounds, emphasizing perceptual qualities, to better understand the mechanisms between specific sound exposures and health outcomes.. Within this frame-work I have researched the human impact of low frequency noise, wind turbine noise, and the sound environment within intensive care, maternity wards and preschools. I established the multidisciplinary Sound and Health research unit and was the driving force behind the design and development of a state-of-the-art laboratory for research on environmental exposures and sleep. My research spans hearing disorders in communication-intensive workplaces, the sleep disturbance due to noise and vibration, and the long-term effects of environmental noise on sleep and broader health outcomes. Lately the mental health and cognitive development has been the focus of investigation among the age groups of 0-21 years old adopting an exposome perspective.

I have contributed internationally as a member of the WHO’s General Guideline Group for noise criteria and on the expert panel of the Canadian Council of Academies for wind turbine and health reports. I have been a member of the board of International Commission for Acoustics (ICA), chair of ICBEN team 3, and currently a member of the executive committee at ICBEN. Presently I am Vice president within I-INCE for Europe and Africa.

Within the research unit Sound and Health, our studies adopt quantitative and qualitative methods and epidemiological and experimental designs. Current studies include young children’s perception, response and health outcomes due to noise. Within the age group of 4-6 years we have developed and validated a questionnaire to capture children’s reaction in their preschool environment, evaluated several measurement methods of their noise exposure and currently also the risk for hearing disorders. Other ongoing projects study hearing disorders among communication intensive work places with a gender focus and physiological and self-reported reactions due to vibration and noise during sleep.