Anna Thorson

Anna Thorson is a Professor of Global Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. She is affiliated with the Global and Sexual Health (GLOSH) research group and holds an Honorary Professorship at Hanoi Medical University. Her academic journey includes a Medical Degree (MD) from Lund University (1995), a PhD in International Health (Karolinska Institutet, 2003), and a full professorship in 2013.

Her research focuses on global infectious disease epidemiology, particularly HIV/AIDS, Ebola virus persistence, and sexual health. She has contributed to studies on Ebola survivors' semen RNA persistence in Sierra Leone and HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the US and Europe. She has also led projects on maternal health interventions, including mHealth strategies in South Africa and Vietnam.

Thorson’s work bridges clinical practice and public health policy. She has advised the ECDC on HIV/STI prevention and served on the Global Fund’s Technical Expert Reference Group (2015–2018). Her recent research emphasizes climate change impacts on sexual health, maternal mortality linked to SARS-CoV-2, and capacity-building in global health research.

• Education: MD (Lund University, 1995), PhD (Karolinska Institutet, 2003), DipTropMed (Paris VII).
• Awards: Honorary Professorship (Hanoi, 2011), Global Fund Technical Expert (2015–2018).
• Key Research Themes: HIV/AIDS epidemiology, Ebola virus persistence, maternal health, climate and health linkages, implementation science.