University of Copenhagen

Brief Overview

Mission: To provide the scientific foundation to improve public health, and to create greater insight into the links between health, the individual and society, to ethical, equity and political implications. Targeted actions: research, education and engagement with stakeholders and the public at large with a wide-ranging multidisciplinary research agenda that covers most aspects of public health at a high international level.

Staff: We occupy about 300 employees. Among these are 110 professors, associate and assistant professors, approx. 155 postdocs, PhD students and scientific assistants and approx. 35 administrative staff. Clinical professors and tutors are associated with the department

Research Areas

Asthma\Environmental medicine and lung diseases\Epidemiology\Occupational medicine and lung diseases\Physical activity

Research infrastructure/facilities

Professor and supervisor Zorana Jovanovic Andersen leads the Environmental Epidemiology Group (EEG), 15 researchers, at Section of Environmental Health. ZJA has conducted studies in air pollution, asthma (children and adults) and COPD at Danish and international levels for more than 15 years, including focus on physical activity in polluted cities and respiratory disease. EEG has access to statistical software, internationally unique Danish clinical data on respiratory disease, hospital contacts and medication, which together provide an infrastructure for state-of-the art research in air pollution and lung disease. ZJA is engaged in policy and advocacy through several international networks and societies.

Research funding/Resources

The project PhD project for Shuo Liu, Long-term effects of air pollution on risk of asthma and COPD, within European the Effects of Low-Level Air Pollution (http://www.elapseproject.eu/) is funded by Chinese Scholarship Council and Health Effects Institute.

Assistant Professor Youn-Hee Lims position in ZJAs group is funded internally by the Department of Public Health. Since 2019 Youn-Hee has conducted research in the effects of extreme temperature events and climate change (heat wave in 2018) on the respiratory disease in Denmark and Scandinavia.

Links to non-academic sector

ZJA is a member of Air Pollution Expert Group in Copenhagen Municipality’s Center for Health and Prevention. Through this group new studies are regularly discussed, and knowledge and resources exchanged. ZJAs group is a central partner in The Copenhagen Solutions Lab (Rasmus Reeh), in Google Street Airview air pollution measurements project (2018-2020), to Statistics Denmark (Laust H. Mortensen) which is hosting Copenhagen Centre for Environment and Populations, and to the Danish Council for Disease Prevention, where ZJA is an elected member (http://www.vidensraad.dk/).

Experience hosting international researchers, career development & training programmes, outreach activities

DPH has an ambitious recruitment strategy for international researchers at all career levels, but with particular focus on junior scholars. Currently hosting 17 international postdocs out of 39. Our support include:

Individual Performance and Development Review with supervisor/leader at least once a year. Central for this review is a written plan for career development activities for the coming year.

Faculty Postodoc Mentor programme and our local Postdoc Network focus on career trajectories and dialogue with primary recruiters. The Department funds individual academic (academic and generic) offered at and outside the university.

DPH support respiratory research training: excellent professors in e.g. lung disease and environmental epidemiology, close collaboration with senior clinical researchers in and outside Denmark, patient organizations, in particular with Municipality of Copenhagen, National Board of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency and public media. DPH houses Medical Museion, an internationally awarded facility for public outreach in health research.