Sara Wallhed Finn

Sara Wallhed Finn is an Adjunct Lecturer at Karolinska Institutet, holding dual appointments in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (2022-2027) and Department of Global Public Health (2022-2026). She is also a clinical psychologist providing specialist addiction care at Stockholm Centre for Dependency Disorders (Riddargatan 1), focusing on alcohol use disorders. Her academic credentials include a Doctor of Philosophy (2018) and Docent qualification (2024), both from Karolinska Institutet's Department of Global Public Health.

Her research centers on healthcare interventions for alcohol use disorders, particularly among individuals with moderate dependence severity. Key focus areas include:

• Development and long-term outcomes of alcohol treatment interventions
• Utilization of evidence-based treatments in primary and specialist care
• Stigma reduction and strategies to increase treatment-seeking behavior
• Cardiology-alcohol use disorder comorbidity management

Recent work examines alcohol interventions in cardiology settings, seasonal treatment-seeking patterns, and pharmacotherapy disparities across comorbid conditions.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals dominant research themes in public health implementation science, with strong emphasis on:

• Integration of alcohol screening into cardiology care
• Mass media campaigns for stigma reduction (e.g., Danish RESPEKT campaign)
• Cross-national comparisons of treatment systems (Sweden/Denmark)
• Age-specific interventions for elderly populations

Her work consistently employs mixed-methods approaches combining epidemiological data with clinical implementation studies.

Award highlights include:

• Systembolaget's Junior Scholarship for Alcohol Research (2019)
• Best poster awards at EABCT (2016) and Swedish Alcohol/Drug Research Association (2016)
• Second-best abstract award at INEBRIA Conference (2017)

She teaches epidemiology and alcohol disorder treatment at Karolinska Institutet's Clinical Psychologist program and Stockholm's Center for Psychiatry Research. Her clinical work directly informs her research on real-world treatment barriers, particularly regarding stigma and accessibility. She leads projects within the Epidemiology of Psychiatric Conditions, Substance use and Social Environment (EPiCSS) research group, focusing on practical implementation of evidence-based interventions in routine care settings.