A fully funded PhD fellowship covers three years of salary and study expenses. Nine of Health’s new PhD students are affiliated with the Department of Clinical Medicine, two with the Department of Biomedicine, one with the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, and one with the Department of Public Health.

Ten students receive full faculty fellowships, while three receive fully integrated PhD fellowships, also known as 4+4. In this scheme, the student begins the PhD program one year into their Master's degree and completes the final part of the Master's as part of the PhD program.

The new PhD students are:

Anushree Krishnamurthy, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “MRI signatures of Parkinson’s Disease subtypes”
Supervisor: Professor Per Borghammer
Project: Using advanced MRI techniques and machine learning, Anushree Krishnamurthy aims to identify biomarkers for different subtypes of Parkinson’s disease. The goal is to improve diagnosis and treatment through more precise classification.

Julian Woolley, Department of Dentistry and Oral Health
Title: “Direct Printed Aligners in Orthognathic Surgery: Efficiency, Accuracy, and Sustainability”
Supervisor: Associate Professor Thomas Klit Pedersen
Project: The project investigates how 3D-printed dental aligners can enhance surgical orthodontics in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and environmental impact. The findings could influence future orthodontic practices.

Francisca Gaifém, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Mental illness and sexual health in an HIV endemic population”
Supervisor: Professor Christian Morberg Wejse
Project: Focusing on mental and sexual health among people with HIV in Guinea-Bissau, the PhD student aims to uncover the prevalence of mental illness and lack of healthcare services in this vulnerable population.

Nina Rågård, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Qualifying microbiome therapy in ulcerative colitis”
Supervisor: Professor Christian Lodberg Hvas
Project: Nina Rågård explores the role of gut bacteria in treating severe ulcerative colitis through fecal transplantation, aiming to lay the groundwork for future clinical trials.

Oskar Kjærgaard Hørsdal, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Metabolic Interventions in Cardiogenic Shock Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction”
Supervisor: Professor Bent Roni Ranghøj Nielsen
Project: Testing the metabolic compounds 3-hydroxybutyrate and lactate in animal models, Oskar Kjærgaard Hørsdal aims to improve treatment of cardiogenic shock following acute myocardial infarction.

Thomas Weiss, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Effect of SGLT-2 Inhibitors on Physical Capacity, Myocardial Function, and Exercise Hemodynamics in Wild-Type Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis”
Supervisor: Professor Steen Hvitfeldt Poulsen
Project: Thomas Weiss studies the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors to treat transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM), a difficult-to-treat heart condition, through advanced measurements of heart function and exercise capacity.

Frederik Flyvholm Dalsgaard, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Optimizing Pulmonary Embolism Management: Diagnostic Yield and Hemodynamic Effect of Catheter-Directed Thrombectomy and Bronchodilation”
Supervisor: Associate Professor Asger Andersen
Project: Using both patient data and animal models, Frederik Flyvholm Dalsgaard investigates new methods for treating pulmonary embolism, including combining mechanical clot removal with bronchodilators.

Kasper Kjersgaard Mortensen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Clinical and molecular insights into E. coli and its role in kidney cancer”
Supervisor: Associate Professor Kirstine Kobberøe Søgaard
Project: Combining epidemiological and molecular data, Kasper Kjersgaard Mortensen explores whether E. coli bacteria might play a role in kidney cancer development and serve as a marker for early detection.

Camilla Klinge Renneberg, Department of Public Health
Title: “Social determinants of health and gestational diabetes mellitus”
Supervisor: Professor Helle Terkildsen Maindal
Project: Camilla Klinge Renneberg examines how social factors influence gestational diabetes and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, focusing particularly on education level and social patterns among women.

Anna Sandager Hansen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Ovarian aging and oxidative stress”
Supervisor: Professor Kirstine Kirkegaard
Project: Focusing on early ovarian aging and menopause, Anna Sandager Hansen investigates how oxidative stress and inflammation affect ovarian function, fertility, and women’s health.

Recipients of Fully Integrated PhD Fellowships (4+4):

Anders Tobias Frederiksen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: “Radiosensitivity Biomarkers in Head & Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas”
Supervisor: Professor Jens Overgaard
Project: Anders Tobias Frederiksen will validate and integrate biomarkers for tumor radiosensitivity in three large patient cohorts, aiming to develop more personalized radiotherapy for head and neck cancers.

Sofie Abildtrup Rasmussen, Department of Biomedicine
Title: “Investigating the role of copper and cuproptosis in glioblastoma multiforme”
Supervisor: Associate Professor Martin Kristian Thomsen
Project: Sofie Abildtrup Rasmussen explores copper-induced cell death (cuproptosis) as a potential treatment for glioblastoma using advanced methods like single-cell RNA sequencing and copper-based PET scans.

Ask Carit Andersen, Department of Biomedicine
Title: “Cell-type-specific implications of TMEM16A in the ischemic stroke-reperfusion response”
Supervisor: Professor Vladimir Matchkov
Project: Ask Carit Andersen studies the calcium-activated chloride channel TMEM16A and its role in the damage following stroke, aiming to identify new drug targets by analyzing cell-type-specific expression.