Anna-Clara Hollander

Anna-Clara Hollander is an Associate Professor (Docent) and Principal Researcher at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Global Public Health, where she leads the Mental Health and Psychiatric Care Utilization in Minority Groups research team within the EPiCSS (Epidemiology of Psychiatric Conditions, Substance use and Social Environment) research group. Since June 2025, she has served as section head of Transkulturellt Centrum, succeeding Sofie Bäärnhielm who retired. Her work bridges psychiatric epidemiology, migration studies, and public health interventions with a focus on health disparities among migrant populations.

• Docent (2021), Karolinska Institutet
• PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology (2013), Karolinska Institutet
• Clinical Psychologist (leg. psykolog) qualification
• Postdoctoral training at University College London's Division of Psychiatry
• Field research experience in Tajikistan (2006-2008) studying PTSD and depression post-civil war

Hollander's research examines how social determinants, particularly migration and cultural factors, influence mental health outcomes, psychiatric care utilization, and mortality. She employs both register-based epidemiological methods using Swedish national health registers and field epidemiological approaches to study vulnerable populations including undocumented migrants. Her work addresses critical gaps in understanding mental health disparities among minority groups and developing culturally appropriate interventions. She has conducted validation studies of psychiatric diagnoses in national registers and leads intervention research to increase mental health service utilization among newly arrived immigrants.

Hollander's publication record demonstrates consistent focus on migration and mental health, with recent work examining PTSD in pregnant women and ADHD risk in offspring (2024), compulsory care disparities among migrants with psychosis (2020), and substance abuse patterns related to duration of residence (2019). Her research portfolio shows strong methodological diversity spanning register studies, field epidemiology, and intervention trials, with consistent emphasis on practical applications for improving mental healthcare for migrant populations.

• European Psychiatric Association Research Prize 2017 (category: 'Biological correlates and treatments of mental disorders')

Hollander teaches Migrant Health, Migrants' Mental Health, Global Mental Health, and Ethnicity and Health at bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels at Karolinska Institutet. She also serves as course leader for the 7.5 HP Evidence-Based Public Health Intervention course at Stockholm University. Her research has been supported by the Swedish Research Council, including funding for the TINA (Tidiga Insatser för Nyanlanda) project on early interventions for newly arrived immigrants. She actively collaborates with healthcare systems to translate research findings into practice, particularly through Transkulturellt Centrum's work on improving healthcare access for marginalized populations.

As section head of Transkulturellt Centrum, Hollander leads initiatives addressing healthcare access for groups facing discrimination, with expanded focus on all seven grounds for discrimination and universal design in healthcare. Her team's work includes developing health communication strategies for communities with low mental health service utilization and creating culturally appropriate assessment tools.