• Assistant professor at the Department of Public Health, the Copenhagen Health Complexity Center, and the Center for Healthy Aging, all based at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
• Specialise in qualitative studies of health systems, medical education, and professional practices with an aim to elucidate how public-health policies, programmes, and initiatives affect both health professionals and citizens in everyday life. Interested in how the health of healthcare professionals affects not only patient care, professional practices/relationships, and the work environment but also the overall sustainability of healthcare systems
• Investigate how community-based care solutions can improve care infrastructures and build local capacity in certain Global South countries, and how these solutions can promote equity for both older migrant care-workers living in Global North countries and their ageing relatives ‘at home’
• Member of the Complexity and Big Data research group, which studies complex social and health-related issues among young adults, particularly the impact of childhood social adversities on morbidity and mortality across the life span
• Generate ethnographic insights into how people create relationships with new technologies and digital processes, and how this may influence their social networks and health practices
• Coordinated the interdisciplinary research project, ‘Standing together – at a distance: how Danes are living with the corona crisis’, which documented mental-health changes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Conducted qualitative analyses of how certain groups (i.e., people age 65+ and/or those with cardiometabolic diseases) managed the Danish government’s protective measures
  • Organised work tasks related to the project’s quantitative and qualitative data analysis as well as research articles, website development and updates
  • Participated in public-outreach activities; e.g., writing scientific articles and analyses; building the project’s website; being interviewed by the Danish media; publishing debate articles in the Danish press; and contributing to international blog posts
• Close collaborative relationships with colleagues working in the Danish health and social sector (e.g., Danish Health Authority, Danish Patients, VIVE, Ældre Sagen/DaneAge, KL–Local Government Denmark) as well as many universities, municipal governments, hospitals, and public/private organisations
• Experience in analysing evidence-based decision-making trends and implementation processes in international health and humanitarian organisations such as World Health Organization (WHO)–Europe and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; Doctors without Borders)
• Consulting Editor (former co-editor) of Anthropology & Aging, the official academic journal of the Association for Anthropology and Gerontology, and the Life Course (AAGE). This indexed publication features original peer-reviewed research articles as well as book reviews, debates, expert interviews, and visual work
• Ph.D. in Ethnology and a Master’s degree (cand.mag.) in Applied Cultural Analysis, both from UCPH. In my dissertation, I analysed the relationship between older people, health professionals, and politicians in everyday life to elucidate how the Danish healthcare sector, hospitals, and municipal authorities can improve professional practices and better coordinate health services and programmes for ageing citizens
• Comprehensive experience in medical/health writing and professional/academic publishing and outreach with many years of experience as a project manager, communications advisor, editor/writer, and researcher utilising various media (e.g., books, newsletters, magazines, websites) and IT systems
• Originally from the United States, where I worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., before developing a career in publishing and corporate communications. I have lived in Denmark since 2008 and will become a dual American–Danish citizen in 2024.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Ethnology – University of Copenhagen (UCPH)

Department of Ethnology, the SAXO Institute, Faculty of Humanities

Qualitative research in collaboration with Gentofte Municipality/Center for Healthy Aging

Dissertation title: “Empowering the elderly? A qualitative study of municipal home-health visits and everyday rehabilitation”

Feb 2014 – Nov 2017

Master’s (cand.mag.) in Applied Cultural Analysis – UCPH

Department of Ethnology, the SAXO Institute, Faculty of Humanities

Sept 2008 – Feb 2011

Qualitative research in collaboration with MSF-DK/Læger uden Grænser

Thesis: “Investigating the legend of MSF: a cultural analysis of how first‐time medical volunteers interpret, experience and understand the representational reality of Médecins Sans Frontières” – grade: 12

Internship with the Center for Cultural Analysis (CKA)

Report and portfolios in collaboration with Hillerød and Helsingør
Hospitals: “Speciallægeuddannelsen i kirurgi: en kvalitativ undersøgelse”

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Technical Theater and Communications (major) and Literature in English (minor)

The George Washington University – Washington, D.C., USA

Aug 1986 – June 1990

• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programme (Universitetspædagogikum), Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen (August 2023)
• Experience with course development/coordination as well as teaching and supervising Ph.D., Master’s, and Bachelors’ students in topics related to conducting interdisciplinary research, public health, global health, health informatics, research ethics, and applied cultural analysis