Mads Hvid Aaberg Poulsen appointed clinical professor of urology at SDU

Mads Hvid Aaberg Poulsen has been appointed clinical professor of urology (Clinical Professor of Urology) at the Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, and the Department of Urology, Esbjerg & Grindsted Hospital.

The professorship will strengthen research efforts in prostate cancer, with a particular focus on early detection, diagnostics and more targeted treatment. The goal is to identify patients with treatment-requiring disease at an earlier stage, while at the same time reducing unnecessary examinations and overtreatment through precise and individualised diagnostic pathways.

He leads the national research project PROMAP – Denmark’s first large-scale, population- and risk-based screening study on prostate cancer. The project combines PSA blood tests, genetic risk profiles and MRI scans to improve diagnostic precision. The first phase examines the feasibility of screening, its organisation and data foundation. The subsequent phase evaluates the clinical effect, potential benefits and harms, as well as cost-effectiveness in a Danish context.

The research is closely integrated into daily clinical practice in Esbjerg, where new methods are continuously tested and implemented for the benefit of patients. The professorship will also support the development of the department’s other core areas, including benign urology and robotic surgery.

The professorship is anchored at the Department of Regional Health Research at the University of Southern Denmark, in close collaboration with the Department of Urology, Esbjerg & Grindsted Hospital.

Mads Hvid Aaberg Poulsen is a consultant urologist and head of research at the Department of Urology and will continue in this role alongside the professorship.

Academic profile

Over a number of years, Mads Hvid Aaberg Poulsen has worked at the intersection of clinical practice, research and teaching, with a particular focus on prostate cancer. He has contributed to the development of new strategies for screening and risk stratification and is involved in several national and Scandinavian research collaborations.

He is a long-standing member of the Danish Prostate Cancer Group (DaProCa), the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group (SPCG) and the Danish Research Centre for Cancer Surgery (ACROBATIC), where he contributes to the coordination of clinical trials, guidelines and research projects within prostate cancer and cancer surgery. In addition, he collaborates with both Danish and international research environments.

He teaches medical students at postgraduate level on the master’s degree programme in medicine in Esbjerg, including forensic medicine and diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract, with a focus on urological cancers, in collaboration with Professor Frede Donskov. He also teaches and supervises junior doctors and works actively to attract new colleagues to the specialty.