Public health is important for Swedish crisis preparedness
– What inspired me is the opportunity to highlight the importance of considering various health risks before they result in illness, and how relevant health risks in disaster medical contexts can be prevented.
This is stated by Fabian Taube, Associate Professor in Experimental Occupational and Environmental Medicine and holds a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, as well as a researcher at the Center for Disaster Medicine, University of Gothenburg.
A Research Portrait of Fabian Taube
He is also educated in environmental and health protection, environmental science, and teaching. Today, Fabian serves as a defense medical research advisor at the Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine (FömedC) in Gothenburg, where he works on civil-military research and development collaboration.
Can you briefly describe your current research and what you aim to achieve?
"The research I participate in—within the framework of disaster medicine—focuses, among other things, on the impact of the surrounding environment on individuals. In collaboration with researchers from various universities, we have initiated an overview of health status among conscripts, with a particular focus on iron deficiency, as approximately 30 percent of young adult women in Sweden suffer from it. Our primary goal with this research is to describe health risks that arise in certain environments and how they can be prevented.
Another aspect of the research involves disaster medical education levels among healthcare personnel. In one study, we examined the educational needs that medical students and emergency care personnel in Sweden have, regarding events involving chemical and biological exposure in the healthcare chain – according to their own experiences and thoughts."
What first inspired you to start researching disaster medicine?
"Disaster medicine is a broad and interdisciplinary field that includes multiple subject areas, but research on preventive measures for individuals—before they become patients—is not as extensive. What inspired me is the opportunity to highlight the importance of considering various health risks before they result in illness."
In what way is your research meaningful, and how can it contribute to society?
"Hopefully, our research will contribute to enhancing individual preparedness and thereby reduce the extent of medical care required in a potential crisis. In the long run, the research might also help increase understanding of how important public health is for crisis preparedness in Sweden."
One example is examining work capacity and iron status among individuals during their military service. The results can be linked to general health and the ability to handle physically and mentally challenging situations—potential crisis situations.
"Another important area is our research on healthcare’s ability to manage different patient groups during crises or disasters, such as patients contaminated by biological or chemical substances. These findings could serve as a knowledge base as investments are now being made in training in these specific areas."
What challenges do you see in your research field moving forward? "The biggest challenge is perhaps not conducting the research itself but ensuring that the findings have an impact. The purpose of preventive measures, for example, is not always clear, and the positive effects of these measures cannot always be proven at an individual level—whether in a work environment or in public health in general. At the same time, I believe the need to inform about different types of health risks and how they can be prevented is increasing. That’s why I think young adults are an important target group."
What attracted you to start researching at the Center for Disaster Medicine?
"My current position as a defense medical research advisor at the Defense Medicine Center (FömedC), along with my background in teaching, chemistry, environmental and health protection, and experimental occupational medicine, contributed to my interest in being part of the activities carried out at the Center for Disaster Medicine."
Do you have any exciting upcoming projects or conferences that you are looking forward to this spring?
"Hopefully, the project on mapping out the health status of conscripts will continue, which I look forward to being part of. I am also looking forward to the newly established Center for Health Crises at Karolinska Institutet, which organises ongoing meetings, lectures, and seminars. For example, on March 31, a lunch webinar will be held on local health resilience against extreme weather events in municipalities and regions."