Section of Epidemiology
Epidemiology is a fundamental science for understanding the health status of individuals and populations. It is an essential discipline to unravel individual risks and improve clinical care as well as understand determinants of public health and how to prevent the burden of disease.
Section of Epidemiology contributes to the development of the field of theoretical epidemiology, with a specific focus on causal inference, complexity and life course epidemiology. The dynamic interplay between biology, environment and health across the life course and across generations are objects of research in the section.
The section ultimately aims at improving public health by contributing to development of the knowledge base about the determinants of health and disease, the modifiability of these determinants, and the potential utility of transferring this knowledge to public health actions.
We aim to exploit and enrich the existing population data and we benefit from the unique ability to link registers in Denmark. Our research is interdisciplinary and we strive to incorporate the knowledge and insights from other disciplines into our research. We also aim to explore the possibilities of innovative technologies to collect and incorporate ‘big data’ into epidemiological thinking.
Our research is organized in the following groups/themes:
Clinical Epidemiology and Public Engagement (PI: T.L. Nguyen): The CE↔PEA (or PEACE) research group focuses on developing and applying robust methods for causation and prediction addressing the translational complexity of real-world evidence, practice, and teaching of clinical medicine.
Perinatal, Obstetric and Pediatric Epidemiology (PI: Katrine Strandberg-Larsen: Research on health effects of early exposures in a life-course perspective.
BIO-EPI (PI: Majken K. Jensen): The BIO-EPI research group is focused on bridging wet- and dry- lab data for the improved understanding of the underlying biology in non-communicable diseases.
Nutrition, -Omics, and Cardiometabolic Diseases Group (PI: Marta Guasch Ferre): The group focuses on investigating the role of dietary and lifestyle factors in cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Our goal is to incorporate high-throughput –omics techniques into traditional epidemiological analysis to gain insights into underlying mechanisms.
Section of Epidemiology coordinates teaching and training in epidemiology at various levels. Our aim is to empower the students with the critical thinking and methodological skills they need to address future public health challenges and improve clinical practice. Education is a lifelong process and we offer qualified training at all levels from undergraduate and graduate teaching to post graduate training of researchers and clinicians.
The faculty in the Section of Epidemiology engages in mentoring of students and early career researchers and we offer supervision of research projects at all levels from educational projects (e.g. Bachelor or Master theses) to PhD theses.
Section of Epidemiology contributes with specific courses to the following educational programs at the Faculty of Health Sciences:
- Medicine
- Bachelor and master of Public Health Science
- Bachelor in Health Informatics
- PhD in Medicine
On this page, you will find an overview of project proposals and internship opportunities that the Department of Public Health offers to bachelor's, master’s, and research year students.
DanCHASE
Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC)
The ECHO project (Social Equity and Child Health Outcomes: addressing drivers of child health inequalities to improve life-course health and reduce social inequalities)
Epidemiological seminar series 2025
Join us for a series of epidemiological seminars, organized by the Section of Epidemiology and the Graduate Program in Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Copenhagen. The seminars will take place on Thursdays and participation is free and open to everyone.
20th of February: Pandemics – What comes next?
Lone Simonsen - Professor of Epidemiology and Director of PandemiX Center of Excellence at Roskilde University
20th of March: Forecasting the Future: Introduction to Clinical Prefiction Modelling, their Applications and Methodological Challenges.
Glen Martin - Senior Lecturer in Health Data Science at the Health e-Research Center at the University of Manchester.
24th of April: Ecological Momentary Assessment of self-harm thoughts and behaviours
Becky Mars – Associate Professor in Epidemiology at University of Bristol
22nd of May: DOUBLE seminar with Janet Rich-Edwards and George Davey Smith
The Predictive Pregnancy: What pregnancy history can and can’t tell us about risk of maternal chronic disease
Janet Rich-Edwards - Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Everywhere and Nowhere: Why Massive cohort Studies Have Failed to Identify More Modifiable Causes of Disease
George Davey Smith - Director of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Bristol Medical School
19th of June: Asking well-defined epidemiologic questions: A case study of the HIV care continuum
Catherine Lesko – Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
25th of September: Resurrecting complete-case analysis: A defense
Maya Mathur – Associate Professor at the Quantitative Sciences Unit, Biomedical Informatics Research Division at Stanford University
23rd of October: Title pending
Eric Ohuma - Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, with a PhD in Medical Statistics from the University of Oxford.
13rd of November: What happens if you stay awake at night (Why circadian rhythms matter for health)
Manolis Kogevinas – Professor at ISGlobal, Barcelona
19th of February 2026: Title pending
Katherine Keyes - Professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
19th of March 2026 : Title pending
Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón – Assistant Professor of Medicine/Lead Investigator at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Department Associate at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
23rd of April 2026: TBA
21st of May 2026: TBA
18th of June 2026: TBA
Previous seminars
2024
14th of November from 1 to 2 pm: The Rise, Fall and possible Re-Birth of Mendelian Randomization
George Davey Smith - Director of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Bristol Medical School. A seminar followed by cake, coffee and networking.
Friday 15th of November from 2 to 3 pm: Triangulation – Methods to Improve Observational Epidemiology.
George Davey Smith - Director of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Bristol Medical School. A seminar followed by drinks, chips and networking
2023
20th of April: The genetics of obesity: From genes to biology and precision medicine
Professor and Vice Executive Director Ruth Loos, Novo Nordisk Foundation for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
25th of May: The development of eating disorders in adolescence: Disentangling risk factors
Nadia Micali - Professor and Head of Research in Eating Disorders, Psychiatric Center Ballerup, Mental Health Services of the Capital Region of Denmark
2021
18th of March: Postponed until later this year
The Danish Blood Donor Study – possibilities and challenges for epidemiologic Research
Professor Henrik Ullum, Klinisk Immunologisk Afdeling, Rigshospitalet.
20th of May: Alcohol research – from an epidemiological and interventional point of view
Professor Janne Tolstrup, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark
2020
6th of February: Methodological issues related to sibling and twin designs in epidemiology
Professor Thorkild IA Sørensen, Section of Epidemiology and Associate Professor Theis Lange, Section of Biostatistics, University of Copenhagen
22nd of October: Challenges in emulating target trials (lunch seminar)
Professor Bianca de Stavola, Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK
3rd of December: Working with Non-Traditional Data Sources
Professor Sune Lehmann Jørgensen, DTU Compute, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.
2019
28th of February: Complex system models in public health
Professor Harry Rutter, University of Bath, UK
21st of March: How to evaluate potential non-specific effects of vaccines: the quest for randomized trials or time for triangulation?
Professor Christine Stabell Benn, Bandim Health Group, Statens Serum Institute, DK
11th of April: Data Fusion, Computational Epidemiology, and Causal Inference.
Professor Onyebuchi Arah, University of California, Los Angeles, US
9th of May: (Note: two hour seminar from 3 to 5 pm) : Global studies of anthropometrics: geographical distributions, trends, and genetic and environmental influences Professor Bin Zhou, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London and Professor Karri Silventoinen, Population Research Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki
20th of June: New approaches to the spatial mapping of disease
Associate Professor Samir Bhatt, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, UK
10th of October: Social inequalities in children's mental health: novel methodological approaches
Professor Maria Melchior, INSERM, France
28th of November: Predicting the personalized need of care in an ageing society
Dr. Marvin N Wright, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research & Epidemiology, Germany
Dr. Sasmita Kusumastuti, Section of Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
12th of December: Methodological issues related to sibling and twin designs in epidemiology
Professor Thorkild IA Sørensen, Section of Epidemiology and Associate Professor Theis Lange, Section of Biostatistics, University of Copenhagen
2018
22nd of February: Viewpoints in Epidemiology Senior Faculty at Section of Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen (Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, Rudi Westendorp, Thorkild IA Sørensen, Mads Kamper-Jørgensen, and Naja Hulvej Rod)
22nd of March: How to handle confounding – an ongoing discussion in epidemiology Professor Thomas Gerds, Section of Biostatistics & Associate Professor Mads Kamper-Jørgensen, Section of Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen.
26th of April: Translation of evidence to action in Public Health Professor Rudi Westendorp and Professor Thorkild IA Sørensen, Section of Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen
27th of September: Breastfeeding Duration and T Lymphocyte Levels in Early Childhood , Postdoc Jordyn Tinka Wallenborn, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley
25th of October: Title to be announced Professor of Medical Statistics Kate Tilling, University of Bristol
22nd of November: Does mediation analysis inform public health? Methodological and data-related challenges and perspectives
Associate Professor Theis Lange, Section of Biostatistics & Professor Naja Hulvej Rod, Section of Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen
20th of December: Selection and collider bias in cohort studies, Associate Professor Lorenzo Richiardi, Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Turin
Mail address:
Øster Farimagsgade 5
DK-1353 Copenhagen K,
Denmark
Address for visitors:
Bartholinsgade 6, entr. Q, 2nd floor
DK-1356 Copenhagen K
Phone: 35 32 79 04
Head of Section:
Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen
Professor
E-mail: amny@sund.ku.dk
Phone: +45 35 32 67 65
Mobile: +45 30 28 04 62
Staff
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avraam, Demetris | Postdoc Marie Curie | +4535325476 | |
| Bartholdy, Andreas | Research Assistant | +4535321634 | |
| Duchene, David | Associate Professor | +4535321084 | |
| Guasch Ferre, Marta | Associate Professor, Deputy Head of Section | +4535327180 | |
| Hjorthøj, Carsten | Associate Professor | +4535335830 | |
| Jakobsen, Ulla Kløve | Special Consultant | +4535334212 | |
| Jensen, Majken Karoline | Professor | +4535330681 | |
| Joensen, Andrea | PhD Fellow | +4535327313 | |
| Lund, Mathias Eske Brammer | Student | ||
| Madsen, Trine | Associate Professor | +4535336269 | |
| Mikkelsen, Nadia Mirsharghi | Student | +4535331150 | |
| Mortensen, Laust Hvas | Professor | +4535327737 | |
| Moseholm, Kristine Frøsig | Postdoc | +4535332118 | |
| Nguyen, Long | Associate Professor | +4535335402 | |
| Nielsen, Lise Birk | Academic Research Staff | +4535329083 | |
| Nybo Andersen, Anne-Marie | Professor, Head of Section | +4535326765 | |
| Osler, Merete | Clinical Professor | +4538633280 | |
| Petersen, Anna Vera Jørring | PhD Fellow | +4535336984 | |
| Rasmussen, Trine Damsted | Postdoc | +4535334745 | |
| Rugulies, Reiner Ernst | Affiliate Professor | ||
| Strandberg-Larsen, Katrine | Professor | +4535326078 | |
| Sørensen, Thorkild I.A. | Professor Emeritus | +4593565934 | |
| Trius Soler, Marta | Postdoc | +4535327345 | |
| Urhøj, Stine Kjær | Assistant Professor | +4535327142 | |
| Valle Hita, Cristina | Postdoc | ||
| Westendorp, Rudi GJ | Emeritus | +4535331370 |