Lisa Ekselius

Lisa Ekselius is a specialist in psychiatry and holds a position as senior professor. Her research focuses on individual differences in personality traits and cognitive processes relevant to mental vulnerability and mental illness.

There are two main tracks, one method-oriented, and one hypothesis driven. The main aim of the method-oriented track is to increase the quality of assessment instruments. This is motivated both by the rapid progress in basic neuroscience, which requires reliable and valid assessments against which the genetic and neurochemical information should be considered, as well as by clinical needs for practical and sound assessments.

The hypothesis-driven second track includes investigations on how individual factors such as personality traits and cognitive processes are shaped and developed as a result of genetic and environmental factors, investigations on how these individual differences interact with stress in various disease states, and investigations on the relation between, and the prognostic value of individual differences in mental and somatic conditions.

Lisa was one of the initiators of the interdisciplinary research center WOMHER - Women's Mental Health during the Reproductive Lifespan, and its director until September 2022. Today she works as a senior advisor for WOMHER.

Lisa Ekselius is honorary member of the Swedish Psychiatric Association, chairman of the Swedish Serotonin Society and until May 2023 member of the Uppsala University Board.

Within the Department of Neuroscience research related to psychiatry has its focus on investigating factors relevant for psychiatric morbidity. The research group holds a wide variety of competence, and most members have substantial clinical experience.

There is broad expertise in research methods, from preclinical and experimental methods, to methods used in clinical studies. This includes, but is not limited to methods for evaluation of psychiatric symptomatology and methods used in genetic and proteomic research.

This wide knowledge base allows clinically relevant research on many levels. The ultimate goal of the research is to improve psychiatric health. This requires optimal definitions of psychiatric states optimal diagnostic procedures and subsequently best available and evidence based care and treatments. All of this shall be based on up-to-date knowledge of the enigmas of the nervous system.