CHESS researcher Karl Gauffin has taken up a new permanent position as Senior Lecturer in Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University. Karl has been affiliated with CHESS since 2011 and has combined research with several teaching roles at the Department of Public Health Sciences.
Karl’s research focuses on health inequalities and the social processes that shape population health. His current interests include inequalities during pandemics and the political responses to them, sociological perspectives on mental health, and how expectations surrounding risk, resilience and technological development influence ideas about health and the future.
A recurring theme in his work is the importance of understanding health and illness within their wider social context. This perspective also shapes his teaching. Karl views public health at Stockholm University as a distinctly social scientific field, drawing on disciplines such as sociology, epidemiology and political science to understand how society influences health.
In his new role, Karl will continue to combine research and teaching. He emphasises the close relationship between the two, with university education providing an opportunity not only to introduce students to current research but also to discuss, question and develop ideas together.
Karl also regularly communicates research beyond academia through public discussions, opinion pieces and podcasts, contributing to wider conversations about public health and health inequalities.
Read more: Stockholm University