WHOLE Centre

The WHOLE Centre advances women’s health through excellent, interdisciplinary and societally relevant research at the intersection of reproductive transitions, mental health, and pain.

By integrating medicine, public health, social sciences, humanities, and emerging methods in science and technology, the Centre generates knowledge that improves prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life, while contributing to more equitable health for women across the life course.

*Note: The term "women" is used inclusively to refer to all who identify as women, while acknowledging that some issues in women’s health also affect people with other gender identities.

The main vision of the WHOLE Centre is to create one of the leading centres for women’s health research at the intersection of reproductive transitions, mental health and pain, generating knowledge that transforms science, care, and public health.

WHOLE Centre has four main sub-visions:

1. Become a centre for excellence for women's health

WHOLE Centre aims to be an internationally recognised centre for excellence and Sweden's leading hub for intersectional women's health research, serving as a model for interdisciplinary, innovative, and societally impactful research environments.

2. Drive scientific development, data and infrastructure

WHOLE Centre will develop a transformative research infrastructure for women's health, built on large-scale cohorts and linked registers and datasets. This will be underpinned by open and sustainable data infrastructures encompassing both quantitative and qualitative data where appropriate and ethically feasible. Strong connections will be forged between relevant clinical settings, molecular profiling environments, and advanced technology platforms (including SciLife Lab).

3. Foster interdisciplinarity, societal relevance and impact

WHOLE Centre will cultivate a truly interdisciplinary ecosystem that brings together expertise from medicine, public health, social sciences, humanities, and AI, ensuring that research translates into tangible improvements in clinical care, prevention, and public health for women. As a trusted and relevant knowledge partner, it will work closely with national agencies, healthcare providers, patient organisations, and other societal actors. Central to this vision is thoughtful and meaningful patient and public involvement, with particular attention to underrepresented groups, alongside innovative forms of research communication and co-creation — embracing narrative, artistic, and multimodal approaches to engage and inspire beyond traditional academic boundaries.

4. Focus on capacity, sustainability and long-term influence

WHOLE Centre will stand as an attractive environment for outstanding researchers, trainees, and interdisciplinary talent, offering innovative and cross-disciplinary training that equips the next generation of women's health researchers with the skills and perspectives needed to drive the field forward. Built for permanence, it will grow into an influential centre with long-term societal relevance and international reach, while continuously demonstrating the value and return on investment of sustained funding in women's health research through measurable scientific, clinical, and societal outcomes.