Rikke Lund

Rikke Lund

Professor, Head of Section, Professor

Member of:

Primary fields of research

My research is focused on social inequalities in aging with a life course perspective. Specifically we have a major interest in studying how socioeconomic factors across the life course is associated with midlife cognitive and physical performance as well as inflammatory levels. We use large cohorts studies for these analyses primarily Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB).

My research focuses primarily on the correlation between social relations and health and aging, with special interest in understanding the biological, behavioral and psychological mechanisms for explaining these relations. My second major interest is how social and psychosocial factors over the life course affect health and early ageing with a specific focus on social inequalities in aging with a focus on specific susceptible groups.

Recently I have initiated a study on development in health, wellbeing and relations in a socially disadvantaged community undergoing large structural changes during the comming 3-4 years.

In my research I have further focused on validating measures for social relations using qualitative as well as quantitative analytical methods.

I am PI of the project Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB) http://www.camb.dk/  and of Health, Wellbeing and Relations in a community undergoing large strutural changes.  I am affiliated Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen as part time researcher

Current research

My current research is focused on social inequalities in aging with a life course perpspective. We have a specific focus on how changes in socio-economic factors across the life course influences cognitive and physical functioning as well as inflammatory levels in midlife. We are studying these associations in our large cohort study population Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB) and in collaboration with a number of national and international researchers.

Further my current research addresses the relation between negative aspects of social relations and health as well as aging later in life.

In the project Health, Wellbeing and Social relations in a neighborhood undergoing large structural changes (STRIT), we investigate development in health, wellbeing and social relations among the residents before, during and after the strutural changes take place. Furthermore, we develop cocreated interventions with the same focus points.

In 2013 we initiated the project Social Fabric in collaboration with a number of Faculties at University of Copenhagen and Danish Technical University. We will collect data on social networks and behavior such as alcohol intake, smoking behavior, drug and medicine use as well as sleep patterns by mobilphones and survey data. The project offers an unique opportunity to study how behaviors spread through social networks among 1000 freshmen at DTU followed for 12-24 months with montly follow-up for information on behaviors, an full time information on social networks recorded by mobilphones.

 

Teaching

I am head of the course in Statistics, Epidemiology and Medical Sociology at MSc Medicine and course leader of elective course in Lifecourse epidemiology MSc in Public Health Science. I supervise bachelor- and masterprojects  on the BSc and MSC Public Health as well as  BSc and MSc in Medicine.

I teach medical sociology and an elective course in gerontology and supervise bachelor and master theses at the Master of Science in Medicine programme.

I teach on the course on Social Epidemiology and Public health BSc Public Health programme, and supervise master theses on the master of public health programme

I am member of the board of studies for the medical education and member of the master committee of this same board. In addition I am member of the teaching committee at the Department of Public Health.

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