Prof. Dr. Karin Nordström

Work at ZHAW

Position

• Head BSc Health Promotion and Prevention
• President of the ZHAW Ethics Committee

Network

Membership of networks

• Swiss School of Public Health SSPH+ (Faculty Member)
• The Swiss Society for Public Health

Projects

• Exploring the political in public health: Perspectives from practitioners and academics about the political determinants of health / Project leader / ongoing
• LGBTQ+ specific vs. sensitive health care in young adults - Needs and pathways / Team member / ongoing
• Collaborative Capacity Building for Health Promotion Professionals in Switzerland / Project leader / completed
• Medicines containing valerian for treating symptoms of insomnia, mental stress and test anxiety / Team member / completed
• Preliminary study for an innovative lift retrofit system for people with disabilities / Team member / completed
• Health Technology Assessment: Medicines for Dementia due to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease / Team member / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Biehl, V., Abegglen, D., Fassbind, A., Ballmer, T., & Nordström, K. (2026). Vertical lift systems and health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults : a rapid review. Public Health Reviews, 46(1608955). https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2025.1608955
• Feer, S., Sommer, B., Gut, V., Rausch, A.-K., Bodmer-Matter, M., Inauen Lehner, A., Schulze, C., Nordström, K., Ingold, C., & Wieber, F. (2025). Begegnungs- und Bewegungsförderung im Quartier. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-025-01239-y
• Schneider Stingelin, C., Volkmer, N., Ingold, C., & Nordström, K. (2025). Strategische Kommunikation in der Gesundheitsförderung : wechselseitiger Wissenstransfer bei der Entwicklung realer Kommunikationsprojekte für die Public-Health-Praxis. Die Hochschullehre, 11, 354–368. https://doi.org/10.3278/HSL2469W
• Nordström, K., Elger, B. S., & Wangmo, T. (2019). Bevormundung oder Entlastung? : wie AÜP Patienten den Spitalaustritt erleben. Pflegerecht, 8(1), 43–46.
• Koné, I., Zimmermann, B., Nordström, K., Elger, B. S., & Wangmo, T. (2018). A Scoping review of empirical evidence on the impacts of the DRG-introduction in Germany and Switzerland. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 34(1), 56–70. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.2669
• Nordström, K., & Wangmo, T. (2018). Caring for elder patients : mutual vulnerabilities in professional ethics. Nursing Ethics, 25(8), 1004–1016. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016684548
• Wangmo, T., Nordström, K., & Kressig, R. (2017). Preventing elder abuse and neglect in geriatric institutions : solutions from nursing care providers. Geriatric Nursing, 38(5), 385–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2016.12.016
• Princewill, C. W., Jegede, A., Nordström, K., Lanre-Abass, B., & Elger, B. S. (2017). Factors affecting women’s autonomous decision making in research participation amongst Yoruba women of Western Nigeria. Developing World Bioethics, 17(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12112
• Nordström, K., & Gossens, J. (2015). Personalized nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios applying the perspective of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 29(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0
• Ahlgren, J., Nordgren, A., Perrudin, M., Ronteltap, A., Savigny, J., van Trijp, H., Nordström, K., & Görman, U. (2013). Consumers on the internet : ethical and legal aspects of commercialization of personalized nutrition. Genes & Nutrition, 8(4), 349–355. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-21821
• Görman, U., Mathers, J., Grimaldi, K., Ahlgren, J., & Nordström, K. (2013). Do we know enough? : a scientific and ethical analysis of the basis for genetic-based personalized nutrition. Genes & Nutrition, 8(4), 373–381. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-21806
• Nordström, K., Coff, C., Jönsson, H., Nordenfeldt, L., & Görman, U. (2013). Food and health : individual, cultural, or intellectual matters? Genes & Nutrition, 8(4), 357–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12263-013-0336-8
• Nordström, K., Juth, N., Kjellström, S., Meijboom, F., & Görman, U. (2013). Values at stake : autonomy, responsibility, and trustworthiness in relation to genetic testing and personalized nutrition advice. Genes & Nutrition, 8(4), 365–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12263-013-0337-7

Books, peer-reviewed

Nordström, K. (2009). Autonomie und Erziehung : eine ethische Studie [Doctoral dissertation]. Verlag Karl Alber.

Book chapters, peer-reviewed

• Biehl, V., Meyer, M., & Nordström, K. (2022). The first undergraduate program in health promotion and prevention in Switzerland : context, concept, and challenges. In M. Akermann & A. C. C. G. Germani (Eds.), International Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Health Promotion (pp. 15–35). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96005-6_3
• Görman, U., Ahlgren, J., & Nordström, K. (2020). Ethical considerations in nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. In R. De Caterina, A. Martinez, & M. Kohlmeier (Eds.), Principles of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics : fundamentals of individualized nutrition (pp. 543–548). Academic Press.
• Nordström, K. (2014). Religionskunskap inom pluralism : Etiska reflektioner i ljuset av Martha Nussbaums capabilities approa. In H.-A. Larsson (ed.), 14 röster kring samhällsstudier och didaktik (pp. 79–94). Samhäsllstudier & Didaktik.
• Nordström, K. (2014). Bürgerliche Erziehung am Rande der Gesellschaft : Emilie Flygare-Carléns Rose von Tistelön (1843). In P. Bühler, T. Bühler, M. Helfenberger, & F. Osterwalder (eds.), Erziehung in der Europäischen Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts (pp. 21–37). Prisma.
• Nordström, K., & Gossens, J. (2013). Personalised nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios from the perspective of Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities approach. In H. Röcklinsberg & P. Sandin (Eds.), The ethics of consumption : the citizen, the market and the law (pp. 321–327). Wageningen Academic Publishers.
• Nordström, K. (2012). Can we educate for freedom? : ethical perspectives on the pedagogical paradox. In S. Parker, R. Freathy, & L. Francis (Eds.), Religious education and freedom of religion (pp. 131–150). Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-0353-0335-3

Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed

• Biehl, V., Glässel, A., Nordström, K., & Wieber, F. (2025). Workforce capacity building : professional identity formation in health promotion students. 25th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 13-16 May 2025.
• Biehl, V., Nordström, K., Zumofen, R., de Preux-Allet, L., & Christie, D. (2025, September 10). Cap4HP : Capacity building for health promotion and prevention professionals in Switzerland. Swiss Public Health Conference (SPHC), Lugano, Switzerland, 10-11 September 2025. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-34393
• Vetsch-Tzogiou, C., Mattli, R., Tomonaga, Y., Vinci, L., Sharakin, M., Kobler, I., Carlander, M., Wirth, B., Schliek, M., Egli, P., Gerber-Grote, A., Nordström, K., Puhan, M. A., & Wieser, S. (2024, June 15). Medicines for dementia due to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. HTAi 2024 Annual Meeting, Seville, Spain, 15-19 June 2024.
• Nordström, K. (2004). Detachment and relatedness : the tension of a twofold moral pedagogy in confirmation work in the Church of Sweden [Conference paper]. In R. Larsson & C. Gustavson (Eds.), Towards a European perspective on religious education (pp. 222–234). Artos & Norma.

Other publications

• Biehl, V., Zumofen, R., de Preux-Allet, L., Christie, D., & Nordström, K. (2025). Cap4HP: Collaborative capacity building for health promotion and prevention professionals in Switzerland. ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-34690
• Amstad, F., Unterweger, G., Sieber, A., Dratva, J., Meyer, M., Nordström, K., Weber, D., Hafen, M., Kriemler, S., Radtke, T., Bucher della Torre, S., Gentaz, E., Schiftan, R., Wittgenstein Mani, A.-F., & Koch, F. (2022). Gesundheitsförderung für und mit Kindern : wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse und Empfehlungen für die Praxis. Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz. https://gesundheitsfoerderung.ch/node/8252
• Amstad, F., Suris, J., Barrense-Dias, Y., Dratva, J., Meyer, M., Nordström, K., Weber, D., Bernath, J., Süss, D., Suggs, S., Bucher della Torre, S., Wieber, F., von Wyl, A., Zysset, A., Schiftan, R., & Wittgenstein Mani, A.-F. (2022). Gesundheitsförderung für und mit Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen : wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse und Empfehlungen für die Praxis. Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz. https://gesundheitsfoerderung.ch/node/8253
• Mattli, R., Tomonaga, Y., Tzogiou, C., Vinci, L., Sharakin, M., Wirth, B., Carlander, M., Schliek, M., Egli, Ph., Gerber-Grote, A., Nordström, K., & Wieser, S. (2022). Health technology assessment (HTA) : medicines for dementia due to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG. https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/en/sd-web/59GbzBb6Io0A/h0048alzh-hta-report.pdf
• Görman, U., Ahlgren, J., & Nordström, K. (2015). Personalised nutrition : paving a way to better population health (M. Gibney, Ed.). Food4Me.

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

• Biehl, V., Comeau, L., Zumofen, R., de Preux-Allet, L., Christie, D., & Nordström, K. (2025). Implementing the IUHPE Core Competency Framework in Health Promotion : experiences from Switzerland. 25th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 13-16 May 2025.
• Nordström, K., Schneider Stingelin, C., Ingold, C., & Volkmer, N. (2024, November 28). Strategic communication in health promotion : reciprocal knowledge transfer in developing real communication projects for public health practice. 360° Winterthur Symposium, Winterthur, Schweiz, 28.-29. November 2024.
• Biehl, V., Hartung, S., Nordström, K., Plunger, P., Rohrauer-Näf, G., Schaefer, I., & Wahl, A. (2024, March 6). Ausbildung zu settingorientierter Gesundheitsförderung im D|A|CH-Raum gemeinsam weiterentwickeln : Perspektiven aus Ausbildung, Forschung, Praxis und Policy. Kongress Armut und Gesundheit, Berlin, Deutschland, 5.-6. März 2024. https://www.armut-und-gesundheit.de/uploads/tx_gbbkongressarchiv/160_Biehl_et._al_Beitrag.pdf

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