Gunilla Borglin, Professor in Nursing

Gunilla Borglin was born and raised in Malmö and has worked in health care since she was 17 years old. After 18 years as an assistant nurse at assisted living facilities, long-term care, and several specialist clinics at Malmö General Hospital, she studies at the Malmö University College from 1995 to 1998 and became a registered nurse. One year later, she was hired as a research assistant with the Department of Care Science at Lund University, and became a doctoral student another year after that. Gunilla Borglin defended her doctoral thesis in 2005 at the Lund University Faculty of Medicine. The thesis was called Quality of life among older people. Their experience, need of help, health, social support, everyday activities and sense of coherence. After six months as an associate senior lecturer at Malmö University College, she decided to move to England for 3.5 years as a postdoc, initially at the University of Manchester and later at York University. 

Gunilla Borglin received her professorship in Nursing at Karlstad University on 1 January, 2020. 
"This is my second stretch in Karlstad. I was a reader at the Department of Health Sciences from 2012 to 2015, but I unfortunately had to move back to Skåne because a family member became ill."

In terms of her research, Gunilla Borglin describes herself as a jack of all trades, and her primary focus for several years has been to develop and enhance her methodological skills. 
"My research at present is largely related to continuity of care – developing and testing near-patient nursing models for fundamental care intended for the elderly still living at home and receiving home municipal home care, as well as the elderly in assisted living facilities. I consider this a crucial research focus, considering research has shown that complex modern health care tends to be structured in a way that pushes the function of a nurse farther and farther away from near-patient care". 

Research on health care is often relevant to adjacent scientific fields, and parts of Gunilla Borglin’s research is used for educational purposes, both as course material and as a basis for discussion, in Sweden and abroad, and on various educational levels. 
"I’ve been focused on methodology and methodological development, so anything of value that I have brought to my field is related to teaching."

In 2003, Gunilla Borglin became a member of the European Academy of Nursing Science, EANS, after participating in the Academy’s three-year summer school as part of her doctoral studies.
"Ever since, I have been an active member, teacher, and organiser whenever the summer school has been held in Sweden. Approximately 700 European nurses who have completed doctoral studies have participated in the EANS summer school, and I am privileged enough to have met the vast majority, some of which are now among the leading Nursing researchers in Europe. The EANS and this extensive family of colleagues has been and remains a strong force for forward motion and growth in my career as an educator and researcher."  

Gunilla Borglin’s closest family consists of her son, grandchildren Theo and “Wild Ville”, and her mother and brother. While most of her time is dedicated to work, an important source of energy in her life is travelling. Her constant travel partner is one of her oldest friends, and they’ll take any opportunity to enjoy nature, good food, some bubbly, and shopping. In her spare time, Gunilla Borglin reads lots of so-called “trashy literature” to balance out all of the serious subjects she reads and writes about on a daily basis.