Thorbjörn Holmlund

Thorbjörn Holmlund is an Associate Professor and Senior Consultant Physician at Umeå University's Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Otorhinolaryngology. His research bridges sleep medicine, swallowing disorders, and head and neck pathology, with a focus on clinical validation and surgical outcomes.

• Research Interests: Sleep apnea, dysphagia, upper airway muscle physiology, head and neck cancer survivorship, and neurotrophic factor expression.
• Projects: Dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery (2023–2028), Oropharyngeal Myofunctional Training for sleep apnea (2022–2025).

Scientific Contributions highlight trends in sleep-disordered breathing, swallowing diagnostics, and muscle biology. His 2025 work on the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study links upper and lower airway diseases epidemiologically, while 2019 studies explore biomarkers like BDNF in soft palate muscles. Recent projects emphasize dysphagia screening accuracy and multimodal interventions.

Scientific Awards:

• ALF-medel funding for medical research (2023).

Labs/Teams: Collaborates on multidisciplinary studies involving respiratory epidemiology, head and neck cancer, and dysphagia rehabilitation. Leads a unit at Umeå University integrating clinical and basic science research.