Vibeke Jenny Koushede

Vibeke Jenny Koushede

Head of Department, Professor

Member of:

I am a Professor of Mental Health Promotion. I originally qualified as a midwife at the University of Brighton in 1999 and worked as such - first in the UK and then in Denmark - until 2006, when I completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Copenhagen. In 2010 I received my PhD in pharmacoepidemiology at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Given my practice background, I have always been interested in collaboration across sectors, disciplines, methods, perspectives and competences, because I believe that this is the best way to create meaningful, innovative, sustainable and effective interventions and solutions. In all my years at the university, I have thus worked to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice and initiated, established and led several large interdisciplinary and inter-organizational projects and partnerships with many stakeholders. One example of this is the ABCs of mental health - a partnership with > 70 strong partners - where researchers have joined forces with a wide range of large organizations, municipalities and the Region of Southern Denmark to promote mental health and well-being in practice, on a research-based foundation. The ABCs of mental health has had a major societal impact. The Danish Health Authorities refers to the ABCs of mental health in their prevention package on mental health and in their recommendations for Good elderly lives with health and well-being. Local Government Denmark and the Danish Agency for Social Affairs and Housing also work on the basis of ABC. The Faroe Islands and Norway have implemented the ABCs of mental health with initial help from my research group, and Greenland and Sweden have taken the first steps. In addition, The ABCs of Mental Health has been included in the Finance Act 2024-2026.

I am a regular member of various expert and working groups under the auspices of the Danish Health Authorities, the Danish Agency for Social Services and Housing, Danish Regions etc. In addition, I am an experienced fundraiser and have raised over DKK 50 million for my own projects. 

I am a member of the government's commission on wellbeing, board member of the Mary Foundation, Open Social Value Bank, and Djøf's Wellbeing Alliance (Djøfs Trivselsalliance).

I am a sought-after speaker, experienced spokesperson and natural networker with strong communication skills. For several years, I have actively participated in the public debate on mental health via TV, radio, newspapers and podcasts. I have facilitated a number of workshops and given several presentations to politicians, practitioners and volunteers. 

Since May 2020, I have led the Department of Psychology at the University of Copenhagen, which with its 145 employees, 1400 students and a budget of approximately DKK 100 million is Denmark's largest psychological research and educational institution. As Head of Department, I am responsible for the department's overall strategy, finances (i.e. responsible for the budget, strategic financial management, prioritization and allocation of resources), decisions and day-to-day management of research, education and dissemination, including planning and distribution of work tasks in the management team and in general at the department. 

I do my utmost to ensure a good working and study environment where we promote research of the highest quality in psychology, mental health and well-being and ensure that our knowledge is integrated into first-class research-based education, practice and policy.

Current research

My research is primarily concerned with mental health and wellbeing, and mental health promotion, is interdisciplinary in nature and is always conducted as a team effort. It ranges from qualitative studies, survey and register research, action research, scale validation and health economic analysis.

ID: 253266670