DISASTER-CARE – A historic investment in a Swedish national doctoral school in disaster medicine
Göteborg University has received SEK 54 million from the Swedish Research Council to lead DISASTER-CARE, a new national doctoral school for educators within disaster and total defense medicine. The initiative spans five years and aims to build long-term national capacity to train future healthcare personnel in crisis and disaster readiness.
DISASTER-CARE is coordinated by the Centre for Disaster Medicine (CKM) at Göteborg University and carried out in close collaboration with Linköping University, Chalmers University of Technology, the Swedish Defence University, the University of Borås, Umeå University, and Örebro University. In total, the program will recruit 12–14 doctoral candidates, all of whom are active teachers within Swedish healthcare education programs.
“This is a historic investment in Swedish disaster medicine. DISASTER-CARE will strengthen both education and preparedness across the country and help ensure that Sweden is better equipped for future crises, major incidents, pandemics, and armed conflicts,” says Yohan Robinson, project manager and Director of CKM.
Strengthening Sweden’s ability to meet future crises
The doctoral school offers a cohesive research training program with courses, seminars, simulations, and international exchanges. The goal is to build a national base of research-trained educators who can integrate disaster medicine, crisis management, and total defense medicine into the regular curricula of healthcare education programs.
DISASTER-CARE will also be part of a strong international network with partners such as WHO’s Emergency Medical Teams, the NATO Science and Technology Organization, and several European and global universities and research centers.
“Through these collaborations, the doctoral candidates gain access to international perspectives and hands-on experience from different types of crises and disasters. The program will help strengthen national expertise in these fields and ensure that new knowledge is passed on to future generations of healthcare professionals,” says Joakim Björås, Director of Education at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, researcher, and board member at CKM.
Text: Susanne Lj Westergren
- Start date: DISASTER-CARE will launch on January 1, 2026, beginning the planning of all components of the doctoral school.
- Total funding amount: SEK 54,872,819
- Responsible partners at participating universities:
University of Borås: Henrik and Magnus Andersson Hagiwara
Linköping University: Carl-Oscar Jonson
Chalmers University of Technology: Andreas Fhager
Umeå University: Anton Westman and Lina Gyllencreutz (together with Falck Sweden)
Örebro University: Karin Hugelius and, from Region Örebro County, Andreas Wladis
Swedish Defence University: Göran Sandström
- Swedish Research Council, news 2025: Doctoral programme grant for teachers within health care education
- Swedish Research Council, about: Doctoral programme grant for teachers within health care education
The purpose of the grant is to arrange third cycle education aimed at strengthening the connection to research and achieve higher quality within healthcare and medical education, as well as to ensure the future supply of researchers at universities. The initiative is based on a government mandate.