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Signe Smith Jervelund

MSc, PhD

  • Øster Farimagsgade 5 opg. B

    1353 København K

Personal profile

Primary fields of research

My scientific main interest lies within the field of health services research with a particular focus on the structure and function of the healthcare system, social and ethnic inequalities, continuity of care and quality of care in a national and international comparative perspective.

Former and current research projects include migrants’ access to and utilization of health care services in Europe and the U.S.; quality of care; video consultations; asylum-seeking children's mental health, refugees' integration within health, education, and labour marked, multimorbid patients in the fragmented healthcare system as well as intervention studies regarding healthcare-seeking behavior, better pregnancy outcomes and mental health among young newcomers.

Applied research, multidisciplinary approaches, development of educational curriculum and dissemination of research are important elements of my work. 

I am the Danish editor of Scandinavian Journal of Public Health and Leader of the Scientific Committee of Danish Public Health Society.

Current research

Signe Smith Jervelund is involved in a number of research projects within the areas of health services research, intervention research as well as migration and health

  • Patients and specialist doctors' experiences with videoconsultations (Screened?)
  • Promoting access to early cancer diagnosis in Latin American Healthcare systems (EquityCancer-LA)
  • Multimorbid patients in a fragmented healthcare system
  • Equity in access to and use of healthcare services

Please see the publication list for most recent publications

Teaching

I am Head of Studies of Public Health Science. I teaches/lectures primarily in organization of the health care system, health economics and prioritizing in health care, quality and evaluation, health politics and health care reforms, complex interventions as well as migration and health at the University of Copenhagen:

  • Bachelor- and Master education in Public Health
  • Medicine
  • Master of Public Health (MPH)
  • Master of Global Health
  • Master of Health Innovation (together with CBS)

I am the course director of "The structure, management and economics of the healthcare system" at MPH, and I am co-course director of "Statistics, Epidemiology and Medical Sociology (SEMS) on the part of the course on the structure and function of the healthcare system" at the medical education.

I supervise bachelor, master and PhD students.

CV

Education
2011: PhD, Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen
2006: Master of Science in Public Health (MSc), University of Copenhagen
2004: Health Law, The Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen
2003: Bachelor of Public Health Science (BA), University of Copenhagen

Work experience 
2016-2018: Director, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, University of Copenhagen
2014-2016: Research Director, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, University of Copenhagen
2014-current: Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health, Section for Health Services Research
2011-2014: Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2011: Acting research director at Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, University of Copenhagen
2010-2011: Postdoc, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2007-2010: PhD Scholar, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2006-2007: Research assistant, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health

Research and educational stay abroad 
2013: Veterans Health Administration, Los Angeles, USA
2009: Harvard Medical School, Department of Health Care Policy, Boston, 6 months
2009: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, 1 month
2009: Agency of Public Health, Lazio Region, Rom, Italien, 1 month.
2009: NIVEL (Netherlands Institute of Health Services Research), Holland, 1 month
2005: University of Auckland, School of Population Health, New Zealand. 12 months

Other professional activities
2017-2019: Member of Steno Faculty Steering Group (representative of public health)
2016-: Danish Editor of Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
2016-: Director of the Scientific Committee of Danish Public Health Society
2008-: Reviewer: Social Science and Medicine, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, European Journal of Public Health, International Journal for Equity in Health, International Journal of Public Health, and Ugeskrift for Læger
2008: Award winner of the Association of Master of Science in Public Health-Award 2008
2008: Member of web-committee at the Institute of Public Health
2007-2008: Member of external advisery group for the investigation of rejected asylum seekers' conditions conducted by Institute of Human Rights

Knowledge of languages

English, basis German and knowledge of French and the Scandinavian languages

Short presentation

Signe Smith Jervelund (PhD, MSc) is Associate Professor in Health Services Research and Head of Studies for Public Health Science. The overall focus of my research is the access, functions and outcomes of healthcare services with special attention on vulnerable groups, and how we can reduce inequities in access to healthcare in a national and international comparative perspective.

Possible conflicts of interest

I am a Danish editor of the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, a personal member of the Danish Society for Public Health, and the chair of the Scientific Committee. Additionally, I have been appointed by the society as an expert in the committee on inequality and ethnicity under the Health Authority. Finally, I have been appointed by Danish universities as a scientific expert in the Epidemic Commission to assist with their work.

Keywords

  • Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
  • Health Services Research
  • Access to Health care
  • use of health services
  • migrants
  • Asylum seeking and newly arrived children
  • Complex interventions
  • mental Health
  • Health Care Structure and Function

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or