CMH contributes interdisciplinary expertise and art to major research initiative on women’s health

The new Forte-funded centre, officially titled WHOLE- Interdisciplinary Centre for Women’s Health Over the LifecoursE- at the intersection of reproductive transitions, mental health and pain is a ten-year initiative that brings together 17 disciplines to integrate biological, psychological, social, and cultural perspectives on women’s health. The centre is led by Alkistis Skalkidou, Professor at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health. Through experimental research, longitudinal cohorts, AI-driven prediction, digital humanities, and participatory methods, the research aims to contribute to diagnostic innovations, precision interventions, and more equitable, patient-centred models of care.

Within WHOLE, the role of the Centre for Medical Humanities (CMH) will be to strengthen interdisciplinary expertise within the organisation and contribute research on experiential understanding of issues such as pain and mental health. CMH will also organise artist residencies within the research framework. Researchers from CMH involved in the project include Ylva Söderfeldt and Erika Sigvardsdotter.

Forte’s long-term investment in Centre Grants provides ten years of support to promote leading research and strengthen societal impact. The total grant awarded for the first six years of this centre is SEK 72 million. Forte has also funded another centre at Uppsala University – the Uppsala Centre for Preventive Psychiatry, where CMH is also involved.