My primary research interests are in how early life conditions affect the health and well-being of fetuses, children and adolescents, and epidemiological issues involved when investigating this.

Co-Principal Investigator of the 18-years follow-up in the Danish National Birth Cohort, and Principal Investigator of the EATus research programme: Disordered EATing behaviors and eating disorders during adolescence - understanding severity, course and etiology - EATus.

Data from the Danish National Birth Cohort and the nationwide registries constitute the foundation of the EATus research programme. I am further involved in various other research projects exploiting these data sources to address how prenatal and early life exposures are related to neurodevelopment outcomes in children and mental health outcomes in adolescents. 

Teaching pre- and post-graduate students in epidemiology and reproductive epidemiology.

Supervisor for bachelor students, master students and PhD students.

Area of research:

Reproductive epidemiology, birth cohorts, cross-cohort collaboration

Education:                       

2009: PhD in Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen

2004: MSc in Public Health, University of Copenhagen

2002: BSc in Public Health, University of Copenhagen

Other Education:

2023: Research management course, Copenhagen Business School              Executive Fonden.

2022: PHD supervision: Next level (3992-22-00-00), UCPH2021: PhD            supervision Rules & Regulation

2021: PhD supervision Rules & Regulation

2019: ERC Interview training: Starting grants 2019

2019: Quantitative bias analysis

2019: Leading Research – a leadership course

2017: Course for Department Supervisors

2016: Seminar for experienced PhD participation

2014: Seminar on Responsible Conduct of Research

2011: Teaching and learning in higher education, Formal pedagogic education, UCPH

Professional experience:

2022 (jan-aug): Acting head of section, Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, UCPH

2018-2022: Associate professor, Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen

2011-2017: Associate professor, Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen

2010 - 2010: Post doc., Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen

2009 - 2010: Post doc., Division of Epidemiology, University of Southern Denmark

2002 - 2009: PhD candidate/research fellow, Centre for Alcohol Research, National Institute of Public Health, Denmark

Research stays abroad:

Sep. - Dec. 2012: Research stay, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Apr. - Jul. 2007: Visiting Research Scholar, University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA)               

Scientific and professional posts:

2020-: Infant Health Study (NNF funded) – Member of the Data & Trial Steering Committee

2020-: Schientific evaluator, Forte (www.forte.se), Epidemiology and population based studies 2

2016-2018: Member of the Scientific Committee, the Lolland-Falster Cohort Study, Region Zealand

2016-: Member of the Danish National Birth Cohort’s Board of Directors

2015-2021: Board Member, The Danish Epidemiology Society (DES)

2012-2019: Board Member, The Clinical Database for the Regional Outpatient Family Clinics 

2005: Cofounder, The Association of Masters of Science in Public Health, Denmark                                                                 

Career breaks:

2009 - 2010: Maternity leave    

2007 - 2007: Maternity leave    

2006 - 2007: Maternity leave              

Grants (in own name):

2019: Horizon2020, EU contract number 874583. DKK 629.525 for the project ATHLETE, partner 22 

2018: Sapera Aude: DFF-Reasearch leader (8045-00047B)-DKK 5.897.845

2016: Gangstedfonden (A31527) – DKK 200.000

2013: The Danish Research Council, EUopSTART. DKK 150,000 for Early Signs of Addictive Behaviour and Mental Disorders: Phenotype, Determinants, and prognoses - A 17-year follow-up of the children in the Danish National Birth Cohort

2012: The Lundbeck foundation. DKK 90,000 for Use of antidepressants in pregnancy and risk of spontaneous abortion – An application of a pregraduate scholarship

2012: The Danish Council for Independent Research │Medical Sciences.DKK 201,600 for Use of antidepressants in pregnancy and risk of spontaneous abortion – An application for a pregraduate scholarship

2009: The Danish Council for Independent Research │Medical Sciences. DKK 2.430.000 for Alcohol dehydrogenase genotype and drinking pattern during pregnancy in relation to health consequences in the offspring. Postdoctoral fellowship

2005: The Danish Graduate School in Public Health. DKK 375,000 for Detrimental effects of Binge drinking during pregnancy

Grants as named Co-applicant:

2023: NordForsk. NOK: 10.981.125 for the project: Post-pandemic mental health: Risk and resilience in young people. (Projectnr. #156298)

2021: ERCstg. EUR 1.5 mio for the project: Solving the ’time puzzle’ of epigenetic effects on child mental health (TEMPO) - recipient Charlotte Cecil, Erasmus MC)

2021: Novo Nordisk Foundation. DKK 1.944.539 for the project: Is underweight a health problem among children in Denmark? (Grant #NNF21SH0069849)

2021: Research Executive Agency – Marie Curie Fellowship. EUR 219.312 for  URBINEX - The relationship between social inequalities, child mental health and exposure to urban environmental stressors: an epidemiological analysis. (#101025856)

2020: The Lundbeck Foundation. DKK 4.860 for the project: Young People’s Risk of Suicide attempt (YRSA)

2020: The French Institute for Public Health Research. EUR 392.488 for the project Epidemiological Study of PRenatal Intake of Tobacco and later child outcomes (ESPRIT)

2020: Nordea-fonden 2020, Amning – en god start sammen. DKK 5.166.642,00 (nr. 02-2019-00267)

2018: Det Obelske Familiefond 2018, Tryg start i sundhedsplejen. DKK 2.500.000 (nr. 29763)

2018: National Institute of mental Health, $2.157.942 for the project A multi-cohort assessment of gestational SSRI Exposure on long-term psychiatric outcomes (R01MH114967)

2016: Horizon2020, SC1-2016-2017. €700.000 for the project LIFECYCLE, partner 6

2015: The Danish Medical Research Council │Medical Sciences. DKK 2.850,000 for the project close to adult: 17- year follow-up of the Danish National Birth Cohort

2011: The Lundbeck foundation. DKK 1.000.000 for the project 11-year follow up of the Danish National Birth Cohort        

 European Research Council
I reached 2^nd round with my ERC application with the project "Eating disorders- Understanding the spectral nature, course of symptoms and etiology (EATus)

Research Leadership:

2019 –: PI of the EATus research program. EATus, DFF

2015 –2022: Executive committee member of the MOBAND-CP study (Mother and Babiesin Norway and Denmark – cerebral palsy). Cohort profile - MOBAND-CP

2014–2021 :   Co-PI and scientific leader of the 18-year follow up of the Danish National Birth Cohort. DNBC 18-years

International Collaboration:

2022 – 2027: Tempo - Solving the ’time puzzle’ of epigenetic effects on child mental health, ERCstg 2021, Lay description of the Tempo project

2020 – 2024: Athlete – A advancing tools for human Early Lifecourse Exprosome Research and translation, HORIZON 2020, Athlete project

2016 - 2021: LifeCycle – Early life stressors and lifecycle health, HORIZON 2020  

2011-2022: MOBAND, a NIH funded project that merges the Norwegian and Danish birth cohorts and study cerebral palsy

2010 - 2013: CHICOS, FP7 (www.chicosproject.eu/the-project)       

Reviewing activities:                       

Peer review: Int J Epi, European J Epi, BJOG, Lancet psych, Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, Perinat Pediatric Epi, Eating Behaviors, Human Reproduction, CNS drugs, BMC Public Health and more

Abstract assessor: EuroEpi, Aarhus Denmark Aug. 11^th – 14^th 2013

Editorial tasks: Assistant editor, Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.  

Institutional Responsibilities:

2019 –: Member of the Data Security and Compliance group, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen

2018 –2020: Member of the Public Health Science Curriculum Change Group, University of Copenhagen

2017-2021: Member of The Danish Bibliometric Research Indicator for Research field 59 – Public Health, under Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education

2016-: Member of the Study Board of the program in Public Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen 

2014-2023: PhD coordinator Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen                    

2014-: Member of Board, Research Education program in Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Copenhagen

2013-2014: Member of Educational Board of Master in Public Health Science, University of Copenhagen

Selected Invited Talks:

2022: Invited speaker at Danish e-Infrastructure Cooperation on establishing a FAIR network for sensitive research data.

2021: Invited speaker the Trygfond foundation for the 13^th workshop on mental health among children and adolescents

2021: Invited speaker at Nordea Fonden on a network meeting among the Danish foundation on mental health in young people

2018: Invited speaker at the LOM day, Lifestyle, Obesity and Metabolic research, UCPH

2017: Global Excellence Seminar- Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance

2016: Keynote Speaker at Open Seminar, Pharmatox – Strategic Research Initiative, Oslo

2016: Annual Meeting Family Centre Clinics, Kolding

2015: Invited Expert, The Fertility Clinic 4071, Copenhagen University Hospital

2014: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Study Group meeting, Seattle

2013: Eucconet Meeting, Paris

2012: Annual meeting Family Centre Clinics, Nyborg Strand

2012: Seminar Speaker, NIEHS, Epidemiology Branch

Teaching Activities:

2023 –: Course leader – Advanced Epidemiology MSc Public Health Science, UCPH

2023: Lecturer – Perinatal and early life epidemiology European Educational Programme in Epidemiology 5-day specialized course, Florence

2019 -2022: Course leader – Epidemiology MSc Public Health Science, University of Copenhagen

2011 – 2018: Course leader – Introduction to Epidemiology, BSc Public Health Science, University of Copenhagen

2012 -: Giving lectures – Reproductive Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen

2013 – 2021: Appointed censor at the Public Health related educations and the education in Medicine

2013 -: Giving lectures – PhD-level courses in epidemiological designs, causal modelling, directed acyclic graphs, and interaction, University of Copenhagen

2012: Invited Lecturer – 3-Day PhD level Cause on Causal Diagrams, Malmø University.

Research Supervision:

I have been supervisor for 20 bachelor-level and 22 master-level students in Public Health Science, and 3 bachelor-level MD student. All at the University of Copenhagen.

Post-graduate supervision

2012-2016: Co-supervisor for PhD student Ingrid Maria Susanne Nilsson. Project title: Less is more - Early discharge following birth – How do we support mothers to effective breastfeeding? Thesis approved August 17, 2016

2013-2018: Co-supervisor for PhD student Pernille Stemann Larsen. Project title: Eating Disorders in preadolescent children.

2014-2019: Principal Supervisor for PhD student Tanja Gram Petersen. Project title: Are prenatal exposures to maternal thyroid disorder, folic acid supplementation, or analgesics related to risk of cerebral palsy, and do prenatal risk factors act synergistically? - An epidemiological study of two large nation-wide birth cohorts (MOBAND)

2015-2019: Principal Supervisor for PhD student Lonny Merete Stockholm. Project title: Obstetric use of oxytocin and possible consequences for mental andcognitive health in childhood.

2016-: Principal Mentor for Postdoc Nicole Nadine Lønfeldt

2017-: Co-Supervisor for PhD student Julie Andersen

2018-: Principal Supervisor for PhD student Julie Elbæk Pedersen 

2019-2020: Principal Mentor for Postdoc Else Marie Olsen

2019-: Principal Supervisor for PhD student Clara Clipet-Jensen  

2020-: Principal Supervisor for PhD student Ida Scheel Rasmussen

2021-: Principal Supervisor for PhD student Julie Marie Vinkler (NSH)

2021-: Primary Co Supervisor for PhD student Henriette Rosseau

2021-: Principal Mentor for Marie Currie Postdoc Tim Cadman

2021-: Principal Supervisor for PhD student Andrea Joensen

2022-: Primary Co Supervisor for PhD student Anne Aurup (UCPH-Science)

2022-: Primary Co Supervisor for PhD student Stine Danielsen

2023-: Co Supervisor for PhD student Thea Emily Benson (AU)

2023-: Co Supervisor for PhD student Anne Marie Ladehoff Thomsen (AU)

Research Scholarship Students

2012: Katia Buch Hærvig. Research Project: Use of ADHD medication during pregnancy

2012: Rie Laurine Rosenthal Johansen. Research Project: Use of antidepressants in pregnancy and risk of spontaneous abortion

2010: Alice Clark. Research Project: Psychosocial risk factors and Chronic Obstructive lung disease