Anne Söderlund Schaller

Anne Söderlund Schaller is a Senior Lecturer at Linköping University's Department of Nursing and Reproductive Health within the Faculty of Medicine. Her academic career bridges clinical nursing practice with research, focusing on patient-centered symptom management in specialized healthcare contexts.

Her educational background includes a Doctor of Medicine degree (2018), Specialist Nursing Degree in Anesthesia Care (2003), Specialist Nursing Degree in Emergency and Ambulance Care (1999), and Registered Nurse qualification (1994).

Dr. Söderlund Schaller's research primarily centers on pain management and thirst experiences in vulnerable patient populations. Her doctoral thesis investigated pain in ear, nose, and throat cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, revealing how early pain intensity and mild depressive symptoms negatively impact quality of life. Current research includes studying biological markers in saliva that may reflect pain intensity in head and neck cancer patients and investigating thirst experiences in palliative care settings. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, involving collaborations with nurses, doctors, chemists, pharmacists, and dentists to develop patient education and self-care strategies as complements to pharmacological treatments.

Analysis of her recent publications shows a clear trajectory from pain management in oncology toward ethical dimensions of symptom management in end-of-life care. Her work increasingly examines thirst as a significant symptom in palliative contexts, exploring both patient experiences and healthcare providers' ethical challenges. The research employs primarily qualitative methodologies to capture nuanced patient and caregiver perspectives, with a strong emphasis on clinical applicability.

As an educator, she serves as course manager for the Specialist Nursing Program with a focus on anesthesia care (60 credits), teaches in specialist nursing education with a focus on surgical care, supervises degree theses at undergraduate and graduate levels, and provides doctoral-level supervision. Her teaching responsibilities include lecturing on pain management at both undergraduate and advanced levels.

She actively participates in interdisciplinary research projects including 'Perceived pain and incidence of mucositis; its impact on biomarkers in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy' and 'Thirst in patients in palliative care,' demonstrating her commitment to translating research findings into clinical practice improvements.