Primary fields of research

My scientific main interest lies within the field of health services research with a particular focus on access to, use and effects of healthcare services by different population groups, including social and ethnic inequalities in health, patient involvement as well as coordination and quality of care in a national and international comparative perspective.

Former and current research projects include migrants’ access to and utilization of health care services in Europe and the U.S.; quality of care, patient involvement, intervention studies regarding healthcare-seeking behavior, comparative analyses of healthcare systems; asylum-seeking and refugee children's mental health, access to health care and coming of age in a Nordic comparative perspective; and coordination of preventive drug medication.

Competencies within a range of research methods, including epidemiological studies using surveys, registries and medical record data, complex intervention studies, systematic reviews and qualitative methods.

Danish editor of Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Member of Steno Faculty Steering Group (representative of Public Health) and Leader of the Scientific Committee of Danish Public Health Society.

Current research

Signe Smith Jervelund is involved in a number of research projects within the areas of health services research, health promotion and disease prevention, as well as migration and health

• Coming of Age in Exile - Health and Socio-Economic Inequities in Young Refugees in the Nordic Welfare Societies
• Healthcare-seeking behaviour among newly arrrived immigrants - a controlled intervention project
• Use of healthcare services
• Asylum-seeking children's health and condition of life
• Equity in access to and use of healthcare services
• Health promotion among immigrants
• Use of cross-border healthcare services
• Preventive drugs among the elderly

Please see the publication list for most recent publications

Teaching

Teaches/lectures primarily in organization of the health care system, health economics and prioritizing in health care, quality and evaluation, health politics and health care reforms as well as migration and health. I has teaching experiences from several educations at the Faculty of Health, the University of Copenhagen:

• Bachelor- and Master education in Public Health
• Medicine
• Master of Public Health (MPH)
• Master of International Health (MIH)

Signe Smith Jervelund teaches regularly on the following courses at the Faculty of Health, the University of Copenhagen: The structure and function of the healthcare system (Bachelor education in Public Health) and in  the subject Refugee and Immigrant Health (Master education in Public Health) as well as in Medical Sociology: the organisation and function of the health care system (Medicine, 9th semester). Furthermore, Signe Smith Jervelund teaches at the Master of International Health and Master of Public Health educations regarding migrant health and access to the health care system, including especially on asylum-seeking children in Denmark.

Supervises students in Public Health, Medicine, Master of Public Health, Master of Global Health etc. in topics within health services research, including health and life conditions for migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, organization of the health care system, and how health politics, organizational changes and interventions influence access to and use of the health care services.

CV

Education
2011: PhD, Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen
2006: Master of Science in Public Health (MSc), University of Copenhagen
2004: Health Law, The Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen
2003: Bachelor of Public Health Science (BA), University of Copenhagen

Work experience 
2016-: Director, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, University of Copenhagen                                                                                                 2014-2016: Research Director, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, University of Copenhagen                                                                                               2014-: Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health, Section for Health Services Research                                                                                           2011-2014: Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2011: Acting research director at Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, University of Copenhagen
2010-2011: Postdoc, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2007-2010: PhD Scholar, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2006-2007: Research assistant, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2004: Student assistant at Department for Palliative Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital
2003-2004: Student assistant, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health
2003-2004: Student counsellor, the Central Study and Profession counselling, UCPH
2002-2003: counsellor at study information courses for secondary school students
2001-2003: Student assistant at a international research project, University of Copenhagen, Department of Public Health, Department of Medical Philosophy and clinical Theory

Research and educational stay abroad 
2013: Veterans Health Administration, Los Angeles, USA                                                     2009: Harvard Medical School, Department of Health Care Policy, Boston, 6 months
2009: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, 1 month
2009: Agency of Public Health, Lazio Region, Rom, Italien, 1 month.
2009: NIVEL (Netherlands Institute of Health Services Research), Holland, 1 month
2005: University of Auckland, School of Population Health, New Zealand. 12 months

Other professional activities

2017-: Member of Steno Faculty Steering Group (representative of public health)         2016-: Danish Editor of Scandinavian Journal of Public Health                                              2016-: Leader of the Scientific Committee of Danish Public Health Society                             2008-2010: PhD-representative in the Board of the Danish Graduate School in Public Health Science                                                                                                                    2008-: Member of Scientific Comitee for Danish Public Health Association
2008-: Reviewer: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, European Journal of Public Health, International Journal for Equity in Health, International Journal of Public Health, and Ugeskrift for Læger
2008: Award winner of the Association of Master of Science in Public Health-Award 2008
2008: Member of web-committee at the Institute of Public Health
2007-2008: Member of external advisery group for the investigation of rejected asylum seekers' conditions conducted by Institute of Human Rights

Knowledge of languages

English, basis German and knowledge of French and the Scandinavian languages