Annual Report (2025)

masv on 1. January 2026

This is the fifth annual report for the Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC). As in previous years, we report here on our research mission and perspectives, projects and funding applications, the team and institutional collaborations, and outcomes/activities during 2025.

1. Short presentation of the Centre – research perspectives and main goals

PANSOC is an OsloMet Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) that conducts internationally innovative research on the societal, economic, and historical dimensions of pandemics. The Centre’s core mission remains to understand social and biological risk factors and inequalities—drawing lessons from both contemporary and historical pandemics—to improve pandemic preparedness and inform public policy. Its unique multidisciplinary focus bridges social science, public health, and history and seeks to deepen global understanding of pandemic impacts and responses. 

2. Research projects and funding applications

In 2025, PANSOC continued to advance its core research agenda:

  • Ongoing research from CRE (internal funding), MERIT, PANRISK, CorRisk and CAS projects (external funding) continued to yield new insights into socioeconomic determinants of pandemic outcomes and compliance with interventions. These externally funded projects form a backbone of PANSOC’s research inquiry and show that research continues even after project periods and funding have ended.
  • The team has continued to engage with funding bodies and high-profile research calls to sustain long-term, ambitious pandemic research programs internationally. This includes Mamelund being invited to Advanced Grant in 2024 (grade A and recommended funding).
  • Throughout the year, seminar series and collaborative research engagements extended PANSOC’s project network and created fertile ground for future funding proposals across Europe and beyond.
  • This includes a new stay at CAS for a Short Term Residential Fellowship in November and December 2025 to work on a New CAS-project: Indigenous Peoples & Pandemics: Data Completeness & Vaccine Access Disparities – Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC). This project was based on our 2022-23 stay at CAS doing research on Social Science Meets Biology | CAS.
  • Benjamin Schneider, prior post-doc at PANSOC got a Young FRIPRO Grant from the Research Council of Norway in 2025. The project, which Dr. Schneider developed when at PANSOC, will be based at the University of Oslo, but with a partner at the Work Research Institute at OsloMet, will study “Technological Change, Labor Representation, and Job Quality: A Comparative Historical Analysis, c. 1830—1980.”

3. Research team and institutional collaborations

PANSOC’s research team in 2025 consisted of senior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and MA students (New incoming MA-student – Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC)) with diverse expertise spanning pandemic historiography, epidemiology, and social science. The Centre’s collaborative network includes academic partners from numerous universities and research centres across Europe, North America and Australia.

In 2025, a notable highlight for the Centre was the recognition received by Centre leader Svenn-Erik Mamelund, who was ranked among the top 0.05 % of lifetime scholars globally in the pandemic research field (highlighting the Centre’s research influence). He also continued to be listed among the Stanford/Elsevier top-2 % scientists in public health. 

Centre leader Mamelund was nominated name of the year in Academia in 2025 by the readers of the Newspaper Khrono. This is the third time Mamelund has been nominated for this prize. First times were in 2021 and 2020. In the latter instance he was one of three finalists.

Former PANSOC post-doc won 2nd prize in poster award at Heidelberg University Symposium – Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC)

4. Research outcomes and activities

Seminars and Knowledge Exchange

A key part of PANSOC’s activities in 2025 was its Pandemics & Society Seminar Series:

  • In Spring 2025, PANSOC hosted a wide range of seminars on topics including historical and contemporary pandemics, infectious disease dynamics, and methodological approaches to pandemic studies (6 webinars in total).
  • The Fall 2025 seminar series continued to showcase global scholarship on pandemic history, demography, and public health, including presentations on Black Death impacts, influenza history, and tuberculosis in colonial Africa (9 webinars in total).
  • The final seminar of 2025, held on 11 December, explored the concept of “kinship memory” after COVID-19, using demographic microsimulation to understand how the pandemic may be remembered by future generations.  

These seminar activities not only enriched PANSOC’s academic environment but also strengthened global networks and offered public access to cutting-edge research discussions.

Publications and Dissemination

PANSOC members continued peer-reviewed research outputs (18 articles, see below) and scholarly dissemination across journals and platforms. They also contributed to public discourse on pandemic preparedness and the historical context of infectious disease outbreaks.

Outreach and Visibility

5. Summary

In 2025, PANSOC upheld its mission to advance understanding of pandemics through multidisciplinary inquiry and global engagement. The Centre’s persistent seminar programming, research activities, and international collaborations reinforced its position in the academic and policy landscapes. Recognition of the Centre leader’s scholarly impact affirmed PANSOC’s contribution to pandemic studies internationally. Through continued research, outreach, and knowledge dissemination, PANSOC remains committed to generating socially relevant insights that advance pandemic preparedness and reduce societal vulnerabilities.

Master’s students finishing in 2025

Amal Hassan (2025): Adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). A quantitative study of NPI adherence among immigrants and non-immigrants in Eastern Oslo, Norway, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Papers published in 2025

  1. Subedi, Raj Kumar; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Delgado, Iris; Matute, Isabel; Laborde, Carla Castillo; Joaquin-Damas, Elienai; Chowell, Gerardo (2025). Poverty and Ethnic Patterns in COVID-19 Excess Mortality: Evidence from Chile, 2020-2022. American Journal of Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf274
  2. Dimka, Jessica L.; Schneider, Benjamin M.; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik (2025). A systematic review to understand the long-term mental health effects of influenza pandemics. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/14034948251391601
  3. Maia, Ana Sofia Monteiro; Pereira, Margarida Miguel Costeira e; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Amaro, Joana Maria Correia; Fraga, Sílvia Jesus da Silva; Leão, Teresa Isabel Costa (2025). “Be Mothers as if we Were not Workers, Be Workers as if we Were not Mothers”: A Qualitative Study on Parenthood’s Impact on Careers and Well-Being. Journal of Family Issues. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513×251400278
  4. Gerardo, Chowell; Hamed, Karami; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Alexandra, Smirnova (2025). Global excess tuberculosis mortality during COVID-19: a country-level modeling study of policy and development correlates, BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24858-8
  5. Correia, Amaro, Joana Maria; Costa, Leão, Teresa Isabel; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Sofia, Monteiro Maia, Ana; E., Pereira, Margarida Miguel Costeira; Alejandro, Perelman, Julian; Jesus, da Silva Fraga, Sílvia (2025). Balancing Work and Parenthood – A Comparative Analysis of Policies across European Countries. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-025-03194-w
  6. Ibsen, Tanja Louise; Zotcheva, Ekaterina; Bergh, Sverre; Gerritsen, Debby; Livingston, Gill; Lurås, Hilde; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Rokstad, Anne Marie Mork; Strand, Bjørn Heine; Voshaar, Richard C. Oude; Selbæk, Geir (2025). Cognitive function, physical function, and mental health in older adults amid reduced primary and specialist healthcare service use during COVID-19: the HUNT study. GeroScience. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-01909-x
  7. Blinkova, Alexandra; U., Khakurel; G., Gaddy, H.; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik ; M., Bekker-Nielsen Dunbar (2025). Construction and curation of a data set of historical mental health incidence in Norway, Scientific Data. Vol. 12.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05795-y
  8. Pereira, Margarida; Dimka, Jessica; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik (2025). The New Syndemic of Obesity and COVID-19 in Urban Areas. Hentilä, Helka-Liisa; Luusua, Aale; Rönkkö, Emilia; Sailo, Annukka; Suorsa, Anna (Red.). Pandemics and Urban Planning: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Cities, Planning and Disease. s. 161-178. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97348-2_10
  9. Adams, Mikaëla M.; Dimka, Jessica; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Sattenspiel, Lisa (2025). “I Would Advise That It Be Kept from the Schools at All Cost”: The Influenza of 1918–1920 at Nonreservation Indian Boarding Schools. Ethnohistory. Vol. 72.
    https://read.dukeupress.edu/ethnohistory/article/7
  10. Dunbar, Maria Bekker-Nielsen; Chowell, Gerardo; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik (2025). Inclusion of Deprivation in Endemic-Epidemic Models. Vienna Yearbook of Population Research. Vol. 23. https://doi.org/10.1553/p-4b4e-mkcd
  11. Sattenspiel, Lisa; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Dahal, Sushma; Wissler, Amanda; Chowell, Gerardo; Tinker-Fortel, Emma (2025). Death on the permafrost: revisiting the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Alaska using death certificates. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 194. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwae173
  12. Mamelund, Svenn-Erik (2025). Fars Tale: Er Akademia en felle for arbeiderklassens barn?. Nossum, Rolf Tomas; Breen, Olav (Red.). s. 149-153. Agder Vitenskapsakademi.
  13. Delgado, Iris; Dahal, Sushma; Matute, Maria I.; Ramírez, Paola A. Rubilar; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Chowell, Gerardo (2025). Socioeconomic inequalities in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic: A regional analysis of income poverty. PLOS ONE. Vol. 20.
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323409
  14. Ibsen, Tanja Louise; Zotcheva, Ekaterina; Bergh, Sverre; Gerritsen, Debby L.; Livingston, Gill; Lurås, Hilde; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Rokstad, Anne Marie Mork; Strand, Bjørn Heine; Thingstad, Anne Pernille Mæhle; Voshaar, Richard C. Oude; Selbæk, Geir (2025). The role of social media in mitigating the long‐term impact of social isolation on mental and cognitive health in older adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic : the HUNT study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Vol. 40. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.70097
  15. Kakhurel, Uddhav; Sattenspiel, Lisa; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik (2025). Role of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions during 1918–1920 Influenza Pandemic, Alaska, USA. Emerging Infectious Diseases. Vol. 31. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3107.241048
  16. Ibsen, Tanja Louise; Zotcheva, Ekaterina; Bergh, Sverre; Gerritsen, Debby L.; Livingston, Gill; Lurås, Hilde; Mamelund, Svenn-Erik; Rokstad, Anne Marie Mork; Strand, Bjørn Heine; Voshaar, Richard C. Oude; Selbæk, Geir (2025). A longitudinal cohort study on dispensed analgesic and psychotropic medications in older adults before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic : the HUNT study. BMC Geriatrics. Vol. 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-05745-8
  17. Vibeke Narverud Nyborg (2025): The use of public health legislation during the 1918–1920 Influenza pandemic in Norway, Continuity & Change, vol 39(2),
  18. Diego A. Gentner-Polanco, María J. Ávila-Amezcua, Brandon G. Tapia-Hernández, Gerardo Chowell-Puente, Svenn-Erik Mamelund, Pedro C. Santana-Mancilla (2025): Design and evaluation of a balanced scorecard to measure the impact of COVID-19 on a Mexican higher education institution, Avances en Interacción Humano-Computadora, vol 9(1): 185-190,  https://doi.org/10.47756/aihc.y9i1.165

Workshop on Indigenous Peoples & Pandemics 4 December 2025

masv on 16. December 2025

Participants: Svenn-Erik Mamelund, Hampton Gaddy, Diego Ramiro Farinas, Jonas Wangsmo, Ole Georg Moseng, Vibeke Nyborg Narverud, Benjamin Schneider, Elienai Damas, Gerardo Chowel, Vera Østensen, Uddhav Khakurel (Photo: Helene Ramnæs)

On 4th of December, we held a small, policy-relevant workshop to present findings from our Short-Term residential fellowship at CAS (November-December 2025) and to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of the Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC).

Program for the workshop on Indigenous Peoples & Pandemics: Data Completeness & Vaccine Access Disparities, Turret room at https://cas-nor.no/, Drammensveien 78, 0271 Oslo.

12:00-12:45 Lunch at Home Hotel Gabelshus | Oslo | Strawberry, Gabels gate 16, 0272, Oslo – a 5 minutes walk from CAS.

13:00-13:10 Svenn-Erik Mamelund (OsloMet), Welcome remarks

13:10-13:30 Diego Ramiro Fariñas (CSIC, Madrid), 5-year anniversary of the Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC): Impact on science and policy

13:30-14:15 Damas/Chowell (Georgia State University), Differential timing of COVID-19 vaccine rollouts across Mexican municipalities. Discussant: Diego Ramiro Fariñas

14:15-14:45 Coffee Break

14:45-15:30 Hampton Gaddy (LSE), Completeness of mortality data at the time of the 1918-20 influenza pandemic in Alaska. Discussant: Diego Ramiro Fariñas

15:30-16:00 Future collaborations

16:00-17:30: Coffee Break, socializing etc., read e-mails, check social media.

17:30- Dinner will be served in the Turret room at https://cas-nor.no/

New co-authored paper: Poverty and Ethnic Patterns in COVID-19 Excess Mortality: Evidence from Chile, 2020-2022

masv on 11. December 2025

Poverty and Ethnic Patterns in COVID-19 Excess Mortality: Evidence from Chile, 2020-2022 | American Journal of Epidemiology | Oxford Academic

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted deep-rooted health inequities globally, with marginalized populations showing disproportionate disease burden. We employed Serfling regression models and multivariable analyses to estimate excess mortality across geographic, demographic, and poverty groups from 2020-2022 in Chile. Elderly populations (80+ years) experienced the highest excess mortality (267.35 per 10,000 population), more than eight times higher than those under 80 years (30.80 per 10,000 population). Multivariable linear regression models showed both Indigenous proportion (coefficient=53.66, p<0.001) and elderly population proportion (coefficient=5.68, p<0.01) as the strong predictors of comuna level excess mortality. Poverty correlated significantly with excess mortality (r=0.23, p<0.001) but this association weakened after adjustment for other covariates in multivariable models.

Excess mortality peaked in 2021 rather than in 2020 for most groups, with males initially experiencing higher rates during early pandemic waves. Spatial analyses revealed statistically significant clustering (Moran’s I=0.119, p<0.001) with identifiable hotspots in northern Chile and parts of the south. These findings indicated persistent mortality disparities by age and Indigenous status, independent of poverty, and highlight the urgent need for equity-focused pandemic preparedness. An effective pandemic response should integrate biomedical measures, such as vaccination, with culturally grounded strategies that address structural barriers and the broader social determinants of health.

Pandemics & Society Webinar 11 December, “Who Will Remember COVID-19? Kinship Memory after a Global Pandemic”.

masv on 9. December 2025

For the ninth and final Pandemics & Society Seminar of our Fall 2025 series we are pleased to welcome Mallika Snyder (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research). The seminar will be held on Thursday, 11th December at the normal time (1600 CEST). More information about our speaker and the presentation is below. You can sign up for email notifications about the seminar series, including the Zoom details, here.

Blurb: Millions of people have lost a relative to COVID-19, with many of these individuals likely to be alive well into this century. How might this population influence how the COVID-19 pandemic is remembered, and how may this shape policy and popular responses to future crises? This talk presents ongoing research using demographic microsimulation to predict the extent and trajectory of what we term “kinship memory” – the share of a population bereaved by a mortality crisis – in the context of COVID-19 in 120 countries around the world from 2025 to 2100. Our findings show that the continued survival of a large proportion of grandchildren will contribute to greater stability of kinship memory, with around 1 percent of the 2100 population of most regions related to a victim. However, the extent of this stability is limited by the relatively older age structure of COVID-19 excess mortality, which shapes the predicted ages of bereaved kin and the extent of their projected survival. Our work highlights the role of demographic structure of both the group of bereaved relatives and the overall population in shaping the projected kinship memory of a crisis.

Bio: Mallika Snyder is a Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in the Department of Digital and Computational Demography. Her research focuses on measuring the demographic impact of crisis-related population change in limited-data settings, and better understanding its implications for affected populations and individuals. Drawing on computational demographic methods and non-traditional data sources, her recent work has explored topics including the effects of COVID-19 excess mortality on kinship networks, as well as the development of innovative methods to better integrate information on crisis-related mobility into subnational population projections used to inform United Nations humanitarian action. A graduate of the UC Berkeley PhD program in Demography and the MA in Statistics, she recently joined MPIDR from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), where she worked as an applied demographer focused on population data and estimation in humanitarian settings.

New co-authored paper: “Be Mothers as if we Were not Workers, Be Workers as if we Were not Mothers”: A Qualitative Study on Parenthood’s Impact on Careers and Well-Being

masv on 2. December 2025

This new paper is part of the MERIT – Mother Income Inequality project co-authored with several Portuguese colleagues including prior PANSOC post-doc Margarida Pereira and Centre leader Svenn-Erik Mamelund: “Be Mothers as if we Were not Workers, Be Workers as if we Were not Mothers”: A Qualitative Study on Parenthood’s Impact on Careers and Well-Being – Ana Sofia Monteiro Maia, Margarida Miguel Costeira e Pereira, Svenn-Erik Mamelund, Joana Maria Correia Amaro, Sílvia Jesus da Silva Fraga, Teresa Isabel Costa Leão, 2025

Abstract: Parenthood challenges work–life balance, particularly where traditional gender norms persist. Despite policy advancements, disparities in income and career progression remain, with mothers disproportionately assuming childcare and household responsibilities. This study explored the impact of parenthood on professional and personal life through thirty semi-structured interviews with Portuguese mothers and fathers living in Portugal and seven other European countries. Thematic content analysis revealed a dual narrative shaped by gender norms and country contexts. Women perceived motherhood as a career barrier, with some reducing work hours or leaving the workforce to become primary caregivers. In contrast, men assumed the breadwinner role by increasing workloads. Parenthood also had gendered health implications: women, particularly in Portugal, experienced anxiety and guilt, whereas men described physical health effects. The findings underscore how parenthood perpetuates gender disparities, highlighting the need for equitable parental leave policies and workplace reforms that support caregiving responsibilities for both mothers and fathers.

New Paper: Mental health effects of influenza pandemics

masv on 1. December 2025

A systematic review to understand the long-term mental health effects of influenza pandemics – Jessica L. Dimka, Benjamin M. Schneider, Svenn-Erik Mamelund, 2025

abstract

Aims:

Health effects of pandemics extend beyond morbidity and mortality from the disease itself and may include long-term mental health consequences. However, previous studies only consider narrowly defined populations at risk or examine pandemics caused by varied pathogens that may have inconsistent effects. We examine existing literature on these long-term mental health effects following one type of pandemic (influenza).

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review of the long-term mental health effects of the 1889, 1918, 1957, 1968, and 2009 influenza pandemics. To our knowledge, this is the first review of studies of broad populations and multiple measures of mental health morbidity.

Results:

The literature search returned 8190 articles. After deduplication and title/abstract and full-text screening, 12 articles were reviewed. Seven articles focused on the 1918 pandemic and five on the 2009 pandemic. Study regions were USA or North America (n=5), Europe (n=3), and Asia (n=4). Long-term outcomes studied were suicide (n=4), admission to hospital or psychiatric facility (n=2), stress/anxiety/post-traumatic stress disorder (n=4) and schizophrenia and other/related conditions (n=2). The suggested mechanisms were infection (n=6), effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) (n=3), or other exposure pathways (n=3). Seven studies had a moderate risk of bias and five studies a high risk of bias.

Conclusions:

Mental health effects have been an outcome of pandemics. Researchers should consider a variety of possible mechanisms, and that infection and restrictive NPIs may contribute to mental health morbidity. This study highlights the need for better understanding of the broader health, social, and demographic impacts of pandemics.

“Coming Home”: Svenn-Erik Mamelund Returns to CAS for a Short-Term Fellowship

masv on 25. November 2025

Two years after completing his CAS project on Indigenous vulnerability to pandemics, Svenn-Erik Mamelund and parts of the old team is back at the centre — picking up threads that remain vital to understanding both past and present health crises.

Why does it feel like coming home when returning to Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) at The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters? I am here interviewed by Julie Ellinor Frølich Dalseth and give my answer to this question and explain the new research we do as part of a Short-Term Fellowship at CAS in November and December 2025:

“Coming Home”: Svenn-Erik Mamelund Returns to CAS for a Short-Term Fellowship | CAS

Prior post-doc at PANSOC wins prestigious Young FRIPRO Grant

masv on 19. November 2025

Benjamin Schneider, prior post-doc at PANSOC just got a Young FRIPRO Grant from the Research Council of Norway. The project, which will be based at the University of Oslo, but with a partner at the Work Research Institute at OsloMet, will study “Technological Change, Labor Representation, and Job Quality: A Comparative Historical Analysis, c. 1830—1980.”

You can read more about other winning projects here: 203 millioner delt ut til banebrytende forskning.

Ben has also been interviewed about his new project and its relationship with his Young CAS Projeect. Read more here: How technology shaped the world of work – FRIPRO grant to Benjamin Schneider | CAS