New professor aims to strengthen patient-centred liver disease research

In her professorship, she will strengthen and further develop research into chronic liver diseases. The main focus is on research carried out close to patients, on early detection of disease, and on better and more coherent patient pathways.

Research focused on patients’ everyday lives

The core aim of Mette Munk Lauridsen’s research is to improve everyday life for people living with chronic liver disease. One key research area is hepatic encephalopathy. This is a serious condition in which liver disease affects brain function. It can cause problems with memory, concentration and behaviour and lead to a markedly reduced quality of life.

The aim of the research is to find better ways of detecting the condition at an early stage and to develop more targeted treatment. This will allow patients to receive support before the disease has major consequences for their lives.

From research to better treatment

The research is closely linked to everyday clinical practice at the hospital. The ambition is for new knowledge to be translated rapidly into clinical use. This should lead to improved patient pathways, fewer hospital admissions and a higher quality of life for patients.

Another important focus area is palliative care for patients with advanced liver disease. Here, Mette Munk Lauridsen works to ensure that symptom relief and supportive care become a natural part of treatment earlier in the disease trajectory.

A strong research environment in Esbjerg and Grindsted

The professorship is anchored at the Department of Regional Health Research at the University of Southern Denmark and is based at South West Jutland Hospital in Esbjerg and Grindsted.

Over a number of years, Mette Munk Lauridsen has built a strong research environment at the hospital. She currently leads an interdisciplinary research group consisting of doctors, nurses, early-career researchers and collaborators from other academic fields. Through her professorship, she will continue to strengthen this environment so that Esbjerg and Grindsted also in the future play an important role in Danish liver research.

She also serves as Coordinating Head of Research for the Department of Regional Health Research in Esbjerg and Grindsted, where she works to create stronger links between research and clinical practice across medical specialties.

Academic background

Mette Munk Lauridsen graduated in medicine from Aarhus University and holds a PhD from the University of Southern Denmark. She became a specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology in 2019.

She collaborates with liver departments across Denmark and with international research environments in, among other places, the United States, Germany and Italy. Among other activities, she has been a visiting researcher in the United States and takes part in major research projects in which clinicians and basic researchers work together to develop new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease.

In addition, she teaches medical students in Esbjerg and works actively to develop clinical research with a clear and tangible impact on patient care.