November 2020
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GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PUBLIC HEALTH & EPIDEMIOLOGY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN Public Health & Epi News N O . 1 , 7 TH VOLUME, NOVEMBER 2020 What is a Graduate Program? All PhD students are attached to a We recently started a new graduate program, but I realize tradition where we introduced Conference calendar that you do not all know what the new students to the program graduate programs are and what with a welcome breakfast. This they have to offer. was a great opportunity for me to meet the new students and Society for Epidemiologic Research The graduate programs are get new inputs on what the (SER) annual meeting essentially the scientific program should consider 16-18 December, 2020 (online) framework for your PhD, and we offering in the future. https://epiresearch.org/annual- offer a number of events and meeting/2020-meeting/ support options for your scientific To everyone else, please development during the course of contact me if you have ideas for Society for Epidemiologic Research your PhD. new courses, events or support (SER) annual meeting options within the program. 22-25 June, 2021, San Diego, USA The graduate program in Public https://epiresearch.org/annual- Health & Epidemiology, meeting/2021-meeting/ https://phd-pubhealthepi.ku.dk/ organizes a seminar series in 10th annual SLLS International epidemiology, an annual summer Conference school, and we try to facilitate Rescheduled to 20-22 September, 2021, relevant courses within public Vilnius, Lithuania https://www.slls.org.uk/ health. We also financially support longer Naja Hulvej Rod World Congress of Epidemiology research stays abroad, writing Professor, Head of 2021, 3-6 September, Melbourne, retreats and coaching sessions. the Graduate Australia You can get more information Program in Public https://wce2020.org/ about all of this in the newsletter. Health & GRASPH Summer School 2021 Epidemiology 25-26 May 2021 at Comwell, Klarskovgaard, more info coming in January 2021 Editorial info Public Health & Epi News is distributed to PhD students and supervisors affiliated with the NorDoc Summer School 2021 graduate program in Public Health and Epidemiology. Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Career Development The newsletter is published two times a year (around May and November) and is meant to be 16-21 August, 2021 a dynamic platform for exchanging information within the graduate program. Any inputs on The annual NorDoc Summer School events, new books, international courses, writing groups etc. are very welcome. brings together PhD students from the Please send your input in an e-mail to Lisbeth Lyng Hansen, [email protected]. Nordic countries for a week of interaction and discussions. The Editors: Naja Hulvej Rod, [email protected] and Lisbeth Lyng Hansen, [email protected] summer School is open to PhD students, faculty and administrators. Deadline for next issue of Public Health & Epi News is 23rd of Aril, 2021. Sign up Previous editions to be found at: http://phd-pubhealthepi.ku.dk/ PhDs of the Month Daniel Ward, MD. Department for Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut I am a medical doctor from England, conducting efficacy my PhD research at Staten Serum Institut has only following a research assistant position in the same been department. I also have a masters in Global establish- Health from KU. It has been a privilege to work in ed for such an excellent academic environment, high-dose surrounded by experts in clinical epidemiology corticosteroids in patients with severe COVID-19. with great collaborative approaches. It has been a We studied the effect of exposure to selected difficult year for the department, and now with groups of immunosuppressants on the risk of working from home recommendations, our severe outcomes, controlling for confounding with interactions are reduced but we maintain some a statistical model based on propensity scores. cohesion as a department through online Building on the findings of previous research, our meetings. In this spirit of collaboration, my novel results will help to change clinical practice supervisor Prof Tine Jess conceived of my PhD and orient further research during the pandemic, project as an opportunity to utilise Danish and and I am eager to publish our findings. It has been French data sources (originally intended as a joint exciting to take part in a collaboration to provide PhD with Sorbonne University, unfortunately, the rapid evidence to improve health in the current respective national PhD regulations were circumstances, and to look into infection and incompatible). critical care, which I would find interesting My research investigates the safety and specialties to work in. effectiveness of immunosuppressant medications I am also working on other studies of the effect of by applying pharmacoepidemiological methods to immunosuppressants as treatments for IMID. In nationwide health care registers in Denmark and one study, I will investigate the effects TNF France. Immunosuppressants such as tumour inhibitors in patients with an IMID on the risk of a necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and second IMID in Danish cohorts. I will furthermore glucocorticoids treat diverse diseases, including implement an equivalent study using French immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID), national health care registers. The French and have pleiotropic physiological effects. There registers have not existed for as long as the are now numerous immunosuppressants Danish registers, but the large population provides available, but their comparative risks and benefits excellent statistical power to our studies. I will also require further research, which is essential to conduct a cohort study of the effect of TNF ensure the optimal treatment of a large number of inhibitors on the risk of cardiovascular diseases patients. including myocardial infarction and stroke. In an My first project collaborated with the Danish equivalent study using a French nationwide cohort Medicines Agency to study the effect of exposure previously conducted by my co-supervisors there to immunosuppressants on the prognosis of was a decreased risk of cardiovascular events in intercurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection. patients treated with TNF inhibitors. By replicating Immunosuppressants are known to increase our methods in French and Danish populations, patients’ risk of serious infections and, for this we can efficiently assess the validity of our reason, such patients are considered at high-risk findings. I am looking forward to a 6-month of severe COVID-19, and many expert groups research stay in Paris and working with my co- have advised reducing or withholding supervisor Dr Julien Kirchgesner at Sorbonne immunosuppressants during intercurrent infection. University. By contrast, certain immunosuppressants have been proposed as treatments for COVID-19, Contact: [email protected] based on evidence of an excessive, pathophysiological immune response in severe COVID-19. However, as of yet, strong evidence of Sidsel Marie Bernt Jørgensen, MSc public health The Danish Heart Foundation Department of Public Health, Center for Healthy Aging (CEHA) Enhancing return to work following heart disease patients with heart disease in Denmark. In Through the last decades, mortality from heart disease has addition, the project aims to investigate factors predicting decreased due to improved primary and secondary return to work following heart disease, and patient prevention and advances in the medical and surgical experienced barriers and facilitators associated with return treatment. With the improved survival more people need to work. Also, patient experienced support needs are cardiac rehabilitation, and it is therefore essential to ensure identified. effective rehabilitation programs of high quality. Cardiac rehabilitation has primarily been evaluated on clinical The Ph.D. project is conducted as a mixed method study, outcomes and less on the ability to promote level of including survey based quantitative analysis and qualitative function, including return to work. Return to work is in-depth interviews. Focusing on patients’ perspectives on however an important rehabilitation goal, as work plays an return to work the research project adds to a relatively important role for psychological and social wellbeing, and limited research field and generates knowledge essential loss of productivity has economic costs for society. The for improving and targeting cardiac rehabilitation and aim of cardiac rehabilitation is to allow patients, as far as activities and initiatives in Danish Heart Foundation. possible, to return to their activities of daily living, but even I have a background in public health, and I have always though the national clinical guidelines for cardiac been driven by exploring and capturing patients’ rehabilitation cover vocational counselling, return to work perspectives and enhancing person-centered healthcare. I following heart disease still seems to remain suboptimal obtained my master’s degree from University of and needs to be improved. Copenhagen in 2015 and I have been working in the Therefore, the aim of this PhD-project is to generate new Danish Heart Foundation since 2016. knowledge needed for enhancing return to work after heart Contact: [email protected] disease. The project examines the prevalence and predictors of perceived vocational counselling among Mads Langager Larsen, MD. Forskningsenheden Kvinder og Børns Sundhed, Juliane Marie Centret, Rigshospitalet My PhD and interest in OB/GYN, stems