Eva Skillgate

Eva Skillgate is a Professor and Director of Doctoral Education at Sophiahemmet University's Department of Health Promotion Science. She leads the Musculoskeletal & Sports Injury Epidemiology Center (MUSIC), focusing on clinically relevant research in musculoskeletal epidemiology, sports medicine, and mental health. Her work emphasizes prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic pain and injuries in collaboration with multi-professional teams including epidemiologists, clinicians, and behavioral scientists.

Education & Academic Background:
Eva obtained her PhD in 2007 with a thesis on Back and Neck pain. Epidemiological studies on some risk factors and treatments, including Naprapathic Manual Therapy. She has held roles as a licensed naprapath, Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet, and former Principal of Naprapathögskolan.

Research Interests:
Her research spans epidemiological studies of musculoskeletal disorders, sports injury prevention (e.g., handball, tennis, football), mental health correlates of chronic pain, and public health interventions. Key projects include the SUN study on student mental health and the STONE trial evaluating neck pain treatments.

Grants & Collaborations:
Funding sources include FORTE, VR, AFA Insurance, and the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science. Partnerships involve Karolinska Institutet, Eurospine, and international sports organizations.

Labs & Teams:
MUSIC collaborates across disciplines to address musculoskeletal and sports injury epidemiology. Current initiatives include establishing a Tennis Medicine Center of Excellence and global athlete injury prevention programs.