Anna Bjerkefors

Anna Bjerkefors is an Associate Professor at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH) in the Department of Physiology, Nutrition and Biomechanics, where she serves in the Section for Coaching and Sport Performance Development. Her institutional profile shows active engagement in parasport research and classification systems development, with direct contact information indicating current faculty status.

Dr. Bjerkefors' research centers on applied sports science with specialization in biomechanics, motor control, and parasport. Her primary focus involves developing evidence-based classification systems for Paralympic sports, particularly paracanoeing (para-kayak and para-va'a) and paracycling. Since 2012, she has led an international project funded by the International Canoe Federation and Swedish Centre for Sports Research to establish scientifically valid classification systems. Her work directly contributed to para-kayak's inclusion in the Rio 2016 Paralympics and para-va'a's debut in Tokyo 2020.

Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent research trajectories in biomechanical assessment of para-athletes, trunk function evaluation, and sport-specific classification methodologies. Her work bridges clinical rehabilitation science with competitive parasport requirements, particularly focusing on athletes with spinal cord injuries and cerebral palsy. Recent publications emphasize ergonomics in classification systems and trunk stability metrics.

As parasport coordinator at the Swedish Sports Confederation's development center at Bosön since 2015, she operates within interdisciplinary environments connecting research with practical implementation. Her current projects include validation of trunk test batteries for para-canoeing, classification of athletes with Cerebral Palsy, and anti-doping research in parasport.

Dr. Bjerkefors maintains active research collaborations across international institutions, as evidenced by her co-authorship with researchers from multiple countries. Her work demonstrates strong institutional support through sustained funding from international sports federations and national sports research bodies.