Sibylle Herzig van Wees

Sibylle Herzig van Wees serves as Associate Professor (since 2024) and Assistant Professor (2023-2029) in the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet. She is affiliated with Claudia Hanson's Implementation Science and Quality research group, focusing on global health challenges with particular emphasis on vaccine confidence, sexual and reproductive health, and health systems research across diverse international contexts including Sweden, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Nepal, and Ghana.

Her research interests center on vaccine confidence and hesitancy, implementation science, sexual and reproductive health, qualitative research methods, health equity, faith-based health organizations, maternal and child health, and health systems strengthening. Her work frequently examines the intersection of cultural beliefs, religious contexts, and healthcare delivery, particularly regarding vaccination programs and maternal health services for vulnerable populations.

Analysis of her recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong focus on qualitative methodologies applied to vaccine confidence across multiple cultural contexts, maternal and reproductive health services for immigrant and marginalized populations, and the role of faith leaders in health interventions. Her research spans high-income settings like Sweden and low-resource contexts in Africa and Asia, demonstrating a truly global health perspective with practical implementation science applications.

Her research is supported by multiple grants including:

• Understanding and strengthening vaccine confidence among hard-to-reach groups (Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare, 2024-2025)
• Addressing HPV vaccine hesitancy through co-designed digital interventions (Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare, 2024-2026)
• Building vaccine confidence networks in Sub-Saharan Africa (Swedish Research Council, 2023-2024)
• Building vaccine confidence among health workers in Ethiopia and Nigeria (Swedish Research Council, 2022-2025)
• Vaccine rumors and trust among hesitant communities in Sweden (Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare, 2022-2023)

Dr. Herzig van Wees leads interdisciplinary research teams focusing on implementation science approaches to strengthen health systems and improve vaccine confidence globally. Her work with Claudia Hanson's research group emphasizes community engagement, co-design methodologies, and understanding the social and cultural determinants of health service utilization, particularly for vulnerable populations including immigrants, women experiencing homelessness, and ethnic minorities.