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GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PUBLIC HEALTH & EPIDEMIOLOGY GRADUATE SCHOOL O F H E A L T H AND MEDICAL SCIENCE S UNIVERSITY OF COPENH AGEN Public Health & Epi News N O . 1 , 6 TH VOLUME , DECEMBER 2019 Welcome to the 2020s! We are fast approaching the 20s. A I believe we as researchers and as hundred years ago – the 1920s – a large university need to engage in Conference calendar was call the ‘roaring twenties’ It this debate and be first movers. brought a number of highly visible Luckily, many have already started Society for Epidemiologic Research social and cultural trends like Art taking the first steps in upcycling (SER) annual meeting Deco and Jazz. There was also paper for Christmas decorations, or 16-19 June, Boston, USA strong political and societal choosing to fly less. And we may https://epiresearch.org/annual- movements and most countries even have vegetarian tapas as the meeting/2020-meeting/ passed laws that allowed women to standard for all PhD defenses in the vote (although this already happened near future. World Congress of Epidemiology in 1918 in Denmark). 2020, 13-17 September, Melbourne, Merry Christmas to everyone and Australia One thing that really characterized see you in 2020! https://www.ijpc- the roaring twenties was that the se.org/documents/2020_IEA_WCE_AU public/ the population showed a STRALIA_announcement.pdf strong voice in art and politics. This also leads me to draw a parallel to 10th annual SLLS International current climate debate, where we Conference again see a strong popular 5-7 October, 2020, Vilnius, Lithuania movement. People are rethinking https://www.slls.org.uk/ ways of life, upscaling garbage and th engaging in politics in a completely 12 International Conference on new way. Naja Hulvej Rod Epidemiology & Public Health Professor, Head of the September 23-24, 2020 Berlin, Germany Graduate Program in https://epidemiology.expertconferences. Public Health & org/ Epidemiology GRASPH Summer School 2020 26-27 May, 2020 at Comwell Klarskovgaard, organized by AAU Registration will open primo January 2020 Editorial info More info at Public Health & Epi News is distributed to PhD students and supervisors affiliated with the https://phd-pubhealthepi.ku.dk/summer- graduate program in Public Health and Epidemiology. school/ The newsletter is published three times a year (around June, November and March) and is meant to be a dynamic platform for exchanging information within the graduate program. Any inputs on events, new books, international courses, writing groups etc. are very welcome. Please send your input in an e-mail to Lisbeth Lyng Hansen, [email protected]. Editors: Naja Hulvej Rod, [email protected] and Lisbeth Lyng Hansen, [email protected] Deadline for next issue of Public Health & Epi News is 24th of February, 2020. Previous editions to be found at: http://phd-pubhealthepi.ku.dk/ PhD’s of the Month Rasmus Hertzum-Larsen, MSc Public Health Participation in cervical cancer prevention among immigrants in Denmark The subject of my PhD is the participation of moving immigrants/descendants in HPV-vaccination and to cervical cancer screening. Denmark has national anothe programs which offer these preventive services r city or receive medical assistance. Because this free of charge, and we already know that are very information is collected at a very high quality, for effective at preventing cervical cancer. However, the entire population, Denmark is very well suited the programs only work for women who actually for conducting epidemiological research. In many participate! Previous research have shown that other countries much of this information would many, but not all, immigrants and descendant have to be collected through surveys, which is groups have lower rates of participation in these very expensive, time consuming and is challenged preventive measures, compared to multi- by many methodological problems which reduce generation Danes. A focus of my PhD is to the quality of the data collected. For example, not understand why these differences in participation everyone are equally likely to have the time and exist. energy to participate in a survey, posing challenges for the representativeness of the Sociodemographic factors such as such as survey. income, employment, civil status and education are often very important in explaining health and A challenge to conducting registry research in a health behavior, and this is also the case in the country like Denmark, is that many researchers study of immigrant health. However, other have access to the same data at the same time. immigration specific factors also plays important This means other researchers might be working roles. For example, immigrants may on very similar projects. In these cases it is experience language problems, difficulties important to finish the article first! Otherwise, it is navigating the Danish health care system and much more difficult to have the results published stressors related to the immigration process, in a good journal. which may act as barriers for behavior conducive to health. The potency of these barrier may in turn In my experience, writing a PhD is much like interact with other factors for example writing a masters thesis, but instead of taking 6 socioeconomic status, the length the stay of months like a masters thesis does at Danish immigrants in Denmark or degree of attachment to universities, the PhD takes 3 years. This makes it Denmark. possible to delve more deeply into the subject matter, but can also make it more challenging to To examine these questions I use register- create a birds eye view of the project. It is very epidemiological methods. This means that I use important to have advisers who can provide the information which is routinely registered about guidance and experience to the project, which, all residents in Denmark each time they interact luckily I have! with public institutions. For example when they finish an education, pay their taxes, register Contact: [email protected] Industrial PhD of the Month Stine Øien Dandanell, MSc Public Health Center for Diabetes, Copenhagen Municipality & Section for Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, Copenhagen University Evaluation of three interventions targeted socially vulnerable people with type 2 diabetes living in deprived areas of Copenhagen Description: Type 2-diabetes (T2D) is one of the 3) ‘General practice for All’ - a cross-sectoral model to biggest and fastest growing chronic diseases in ensure equal access to GPs for all, including people Denmark, and by 2025, over half a million Danes will living in disadvantaged areas of Copenhagen, where it have T2D(1). In Copenhagen, research from Section for is difficult to attract GPs. The model is a collaboration Social Medicine, at the Department of Public Health, between the Municipality of Copenhagen, the Capital shows major socioeconomic differences in the Region of Denmark and the GPs organization in the prevalence of risk factors and the occurrence of T2D(2). Capital Region of Denmark. Further, it address the complexities that make up In my PhD, I use a realistic evaluation approach, which diabetes vulnerability and conclude a need for better has a specific focus on contextual factors and and more equal access to health care services for mechanism that can affect the implementation and people living in disadvantaged areas(3). thereby effect of the interventions(4). This, to improve The research is conducted as part of the global understanding of how and why the interventions work or partnership program ‘Cities Changing Diabetes’ (CCD) do not work for socially vulnerable groups, in different initiated by Novo Nordisk1 that aims to improve settings and contexts. Further, I use relational understanding of the driving factors behind the rise of coordination theory to investigate the collaboration diabetes in urban settings. Further, to share and apply between the stakeholders(5). Methodology, I use a that knowledge to real-world solutions for people to live combination of in-depth qualitative interviews, healthier lives. In Copenhagen, the partnership is observational studies and survey data. between the Section for Social Medicine at University of Copenhagen, the Municipality of Copenhagen, Steno My PhD results will hopefully, contribute with knowledge Diabetes Center Copenhagen, the Danish Diabetes on how the partnership program and the three Association and Novo Nordisk. interventions works in practice. Knowledge that can be The overall aim with my PhD is to investigate the CCD used by the CCD program and others to further develop Copenhagen partnership. This, by evaluating the and disseminate interventions targeted socially stakeholders’ collaboration on three selected vulnerable with T2D. interventions that aims to reduce the socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence and consequence of T2D, My PhD is an industrial PhD and funded by Novo Copenhagen is facing. Nordisk (25%), Copenhagen Municipality (25%) and the The three interventions consist of: Innovation Fund Denmark (50%). 1) ‘Together on Diabetes’ - A peer-support program that aims to support socially vulnerable people with type 2- My background: I obtained my master’s degree in diabetes, Public Health Science from the University of 2) Early detection and outgoing diabetes rehabilitation Copenhagen, 2016. Through the master course in the disadvantaged Copenhagen district Tingbjerg. “Intervention and implementation” I developed an interest within the implementation and evaluation field, which led to become an intern and later student at an 1 Citieschangingdiabetes.com evaluation bureau. Since graduating from UCPH, I have industrial PhD fellow at Section for Social Medicine and been working with implementing and evaluating Center for Diabetes at Copenhagen Municipality. complex interventions, first as a consultant at the evaluation bureau and later as a research assistant and Contact: [email protected] 1. Københavns Sundhedspolitik. Handleplan for Type 2-Diabetes 2016-2019. 2016; Available from: https://www.kk.dk/sites/default/files/handleplan_for_type_2-diabetes_2016-2019.pdf 2. Rule of Halves analysis for Copenhagen. 3. Christensen U, Kristensen EC, Malling Hvid GM.