Through Citizen Science and co-creation, we create new forms of collaboration where citizens and researchers together develop knowledge and new ideas to help reduce health inequalities. The initiative is anchored in the faculty's strategy and is driven by a collaboration between the faculty, SUND Research Support and the Citizen Science Knowledge Center, which is tasked with supporting researchers in involving citizens in all phases of the research process.
In August 2024, a kickoff day was organised to mark the start of a number of new projects. The day combined presentations with idea development in so-called conversation galleries and out of this emerged 11 research projects focusing on health inequality. Seven of these projects are still ongoing and range from youth mental health and robot-assisted rehabilitation to new forms of collaboration with civil society and experiments with health at home.
What the projects have in common is that they:
- are interdisciplinary
- actively involve citizens
- address health inequality in new ways
- work with social change and impact as a goal
Below you can read more about the seven ongoing projects
This project explores how young people experiencing mental distress can gain access to fast, safe and attentive support outside the psychiatric system. In collaboration with PsykInfo in the Region of Southern Denmark, a new low-threshold intervention is being developed and tested: FACE-Y (Facilitated Acute Conversations for Empowerment - Youth).
The model is based on the idea of training civil society volunteers to conduct structured, face-to-face conversations with young people in their own neighbourhood. The inspiration comes from the Heart Runner programme - but here it's about psychosocial support rather than acute physical emergencies. FACE-Y offers an alternative to digital solutions by meeting young people face-to-face and enabling early help in a safe environment. The project is developed in close dialogue with young people and people with lived experiences and adapted to the needs of the local community. A conversation guide is developed and tested both with and without digital tools.
The evaluation of teaching is done through feedback from participants, volunteers and partners - with the aim of creating a scalable and sustainable model for early, community-based mental health interventions.
The project involves workshops with students at vocational schools.
Project managers: Regina Christiansen and Henriette Bruun
Can older adults' experiences of vulnerability contribute to better policy and practice?
The project works with older people as co-researchers to gather knowledge about vulnerability in everyday life - outside the healthcare system. The focus is on social relationships, access to support and the lived life.
Workshops are organised with older people in both rural and disadvantaged residential areas, as well as a stakeholder workshop.
In June 2025, the project participated at Folkemødet with the panel "Can you die of vulnerability?" and has since received support through an EU-funded IMPETUS grant.
Project manager: Dorthe Susanne Nielsen
How do we create better decision-making processes for patients with COPD and their carers?
The project explores how shared decision-making can strengthen patient pathways and reduce health inequalities. Using COPD as a case study, patients, carers and healthcare professionals across sectors are involved.
A major workshop has been held and the data collected forms the basis for the next phase, which is about defining the research question.
Project team: Lea Lund, Anders Løkke, Hanne Irene Jensen, Kristina Kock Hansen, Mette Elkjær and Maria Klitgaard Christensen
Why do some patients seek alternative therapies rather than mainstream healthcare - and what role do online communities play?
The project focuses on citizens with chronic pain or menopause who seek natural or alternative solutions. It explores psychological mechanisms such as hope, powerlessness and community, and how shared decision-making can improve dialogue with the healthcare system.
The project will start with a workshop in August 2025 and is still in a very early phase.
Project manager: Dorthe Brogård Kristensen
Can robotics create more meaningful rehabilitation for people with late effects of stroke?
The project investigates how RoboTrainer technology - with reduced gravity - can enhance rehabilitation through group training and social interaction. The focus is on collaboration with municipalities and close citizen involvement to adapt the technology to local needs.
Project team: Anders Holsgaard-Larsen, Anders Stengaard Sørensen, and Gitte Rasmussen
How can civil society play a greater role in reducing health inequality?
The project works with building networks between local associations, volunteers and the municipal health system. The focus is to develop and test new forms of collaboration that provide more support to communities with specific health challenges.
Initial meetings have been held with two municipalities and a cross-cutting workshop with key stakeholders.
Project managers: Bjarne Ibsen and Evald Bungaard Iversen
Can treatment be moved home - and what does it take?
The project explores the opportunities and challenges of delivering hospital care at home. It focuses on the balance between proximity and clinical care, the role of relatives, and how civil society and digital solutions can contribute.
The project is currently at a very early stage, where the literature is being searched for similar projects.
Project managers: Birgitte Nørgaard and Mette Lindholm Amlund