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Professors

Mikkel Østergaard

Head of COPECARE
Professor, DMSc, PhD, MD

Office location: Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet – Glostrup
E-mail: mikkel.oestergaard.01@regionh.dk


Education and academic degrees

  • MD 1990
  • PhD 1996
  • DMSc 1999
  • Specialist in Rheumatology 2002

Present positions

  • Professor of rheumatology at University of Copenhagen
  • Consultant in rheumatology and chairperson of Copenhagen Center for Arthritis Research (COPECARE), Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Glostrup Hospital

Research areas

  • Interventional and observational clinical studies in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis
  • Imaging in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis
  • Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in inflammatory joint diseases

Publications 

  • H-index: 77 (April 2022, Web of Science); number of citations: 21000 (April 2022).
  • >525 PubMed indexed publications
  • >7500 abstracts at international conferences
  • >400 invited oral presentations

Supervision/Teaching 

  • Supervisor on 41 (33 completed and 8ongoing) PhD studies
  • Pregraduate and postgraduate teaching at University of Copenhagen
  • Postgraduate teaching in Europe, Asia, America, and Australia, particularly on imaging in inflammatory joint diseases 

Awards

  • The Nordic Rheumatology Award 1998
  • The Queen Ingrid’s Research Prize 1999
  • The European Society of Skeletal Radiology (ESSR) Best abstract Award 2002
  • The EULAR Abstract Award 2002 and 2003
  • The Bone and Joint Decade, Prize of Honor 2003
  • The Bechterew Award 2005
  • EULAR honorary membership
  • EULAR Centre of Excellence 2015-2020: (Awarded to COPECARE)
  • Global Excellence in Health(Awarded to COPECARE)
  • KFJ prize, 2022

Honorary positions 

  • Chairperson of Research Council of the Danish Rheumatism Association, 2013-2017
  • Representing Professor of Rheumatology, Dept. of Clinical Medicine, University of 
  • Chair of the EULAR Standing Committee of Musculoskeletal Imaging, 2010-12
  • Copenhagen Honorary member of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), 2013- 
  • Co-chairperson of OMERACT magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in inflammatory arthritis task force, 2002-
  • Vice–president of the International Society for Musculoskeletal Imaging in Rheumatology (ISEMIR), 2013-2015






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Merete Lund Hetland

Professor, DMSc, PhD, MD

Office location: Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet – Glostrup
E-mail: merete.hetland.01@regionh.dk


Education and academic degrees

  • MD 1988
  • PhD 1997
  • Specialist in Rheumatology 2000
  • DMSc 2011

Present positions

  • Consultant in Rheumatology 2000- present
  • Clinical professor in Rheumatology at University of Copenhagen 2013- present
  • Chairperson of DANBIO 2004-2022

Research areas

  • Clinical studies: Treatment strategies in early rheumatoid arthritis (NORD-STAR, OPERA, CIMESTRA, DOBIS, ADOPT)
  • The DANBIO registry: Treatment of patients with inflammatory joint diseases in routine care
  • Epidemiology: Effectiveness of treatment including biological and targeted treatments and biosimilar drugs. Prognostic factors, risk of cancer, pregnancy outcomes; collaborations in Scandinavia, Europe (EuroSpA) and the US
  • Biomarkers: Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in patients with inflammatory joint diseases

Publications 

  • Web of Science H-index: 52, citations >10,000
  • ≈300 PubMed indexed publications
  • >250 abstracts at international conferences
  • >100 invited oral presentations

Teaching 

  • Pre- and postgraduate teaching at University of Copenhagen
  • Pre- and postgraduate teaching at the department
  • Supervisor on 21 (13 completed and 8 ongoing/planned) PhD studies

Awards

  • The Bechterew award 2010
  • The Anonyma award 2011
  • The Queen Ingrid’s Prize for Researchers 2013
  • Global excellence in health (together with Mikkel Østergaard) 2015
  • EULAR Centre of Excellence (together with Mikkel Østergaard) 2015-2025
  • Clemmesen lecture 2017
  • Nanna Svartz lecture at Karolinska Institute 2018

Honorary positions

  • Honorary member of the Finnish Society of Rheumatology (2021)

Positions of trust

  • Former head of the DANBIO steering committee
  • Former chair of the scientific board of Danish Rheumatology Biobank
  • Member of the Research Council, Glostrup Hospital 2014-15
  • Member of the “Lægemiddelkomite” at Glostrup Hospital 2014-15
  • Member of the Research Council of the Danish Rheumatism Association, 2017-
  • Board member of The Danish Rheumatism Association, 2019-
  • Member of the EULAR Standing Committee of Clinical Affairs
  • Member of EULAR Task Force regarding: EULAR Points to Consider on the initiation of targeted therapies in patients with inflammatory arthritides and a history of cancer 2022-
  • Member of EULAR Task Force regarding EULAR recommendations for the management of psoriatic arthritis with syntetic and biological diseasemodifying anti-rheumatic drugs 2022-
  • EULAR Quality of Care Committee, member, appointed by the Danish Society for Rheumatology. 2021-
  • Member of EULAR Task Force regarding consensus statement on blocking interleukin-6 receptor and interleukin-6 in imflammatory conditions 2021-22
  • Member of EULAR Task Force regarding EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with syntetic and biological diseasemodifying anti-rheumatic drugs 2019-20
  • Participation in the expert panel at the Commission event “Workshop on Access to and Uptake of Biosimilar Medicinal Products”, European Commission, 2015  
  • OMERACT flare special interest group, member 2014-20
  • OMERACT remission special interest group, member 2014-20
  • The EULAR Study Group on Registries (a subcommittee within the EULAR Standing Committee for Epidemiology 2012-
  • EULAR Standing Committee – Clinical Studies and therapeutic trials (appointed by the Danish Rheumatologic Society) 2011-21
  • EULAR Standing Committee Epidemiology and Health Services Research 2011-21
  • Chair of the coordinating centre for EuroSpA (with Mikkel Østergaard) 2016-​​​





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Bente Appel Esbensen

Professor, Senior researcher, PhD, MSciN, RN

Office location: Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet – Glostrup
E-mail: bente.appel.esbensen@regionh.dk




Education and academic degrees 

  • Registered Nurse 1988 
  • Oncology Nursing Specialist Education 1992
  • Diploma in Adult Pedagogical Education 1996 
  • Master in Science of Nursing 1998
  • Ph.D. 2006 

Present positions

  • Clinical Professor at University of Copenhagen, 2020
  • Research Manager (nursing) in Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, 2015- 

Research areas 

  • Clinical practice in rheumatology with respect to self-management and preferences for support, age and gender issues, lifestyle, physical activity, clinical prevention, ethnicity, next of kin, quality of life and existential issues.
  • Health related interventional and observational clinical studies in inflammatory arthritis 
  • Qualitative Research Methods and Developing Complex Intervention

Publications

  • Google Scholar H-index: 28, citations ≈2575
  • >85 PubMed indexed publications
  • >120 abstracts at international conferences
  • >35 invited oral presentations 
  • 10 book chapters oncology, palliation and research method 
  • 3 books as editor

Supervision/teaching

  • PhD review committee
    A total of 7; 4 from University of Copenhagen (3 chair of the assessment committee), 1 from University of Aarhus,1 from University of Milan and 1 from Vienna.  

  • Supervision
    7 PhD students as main supervisor (four have already obtained their degree), 10 PhD students as co-supervison (nine have already obtained their degree); 20 master theses; external reviewer on >50

  • Teaching
    At various workshops, pre- and postgraduate within a number of different topics as nursing research, qualitative and mixed-method, cancer care, palliative care, patient research partner, rheumatology, chronic conditions, fatigue, sleep problems, self-management, gender perspectives

Awards

  • Mobile Prize, Danish Rheumatism Association, 2018
  • First prize for best described proposal, post-doctoral course, Lund, Sweden, 2007
  • Best poster European Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Italy, 1998 
  • Best oral presentation, EBMT, Austria, 1996 

Honorary positions - Appointed Committees

  • The Arthritis Association's research council (since 2020)
  • Evaluation committee for the Rigshospitalet MVU grant (since 2017), the Danish Nursing Council (since 2019) and Herlev/Gentofte Hospital (since 2017)
  • Novo Nordisk Foundation, Chairman of the Committee on Nursing Research, 2014-2016
  •  Expert Group in the Program PRO, ViBIS & Danish Patients (representative of DANBIO), 2015-2016
  • Novo Nordisk Foundation, Committee on Nursing Research, 2009-2013
  • Various Strategy Groups, Research Advisory Boards and reviewer for various foundations, 2007-




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Lene Terslev

Profes​sor, consultant, PhD, MD

Office location: Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet – Glostrup​
E-mail: lene.terslev.01@regionh.dk



Education and academic degrees

  • MD 1994
  • PhD 2004
  • Specialist in Rheumatology 2009

Present positions

  • Professor of rheumatology at University of Copenhagen
  • 10% Professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondhjem, Norway
  • Consultant in Rheumatology 2009-
  • Head of the Ultrasound Unit, Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Glostrup Hospital 2010-

Research areas

  • Validation of ultrasound as a clinical tool in arthritis
  • Validation of ultrasound in vasculitis
  • Application of ultrasound in clinical trials for monitoring and prediction of treatment effect
  • Interventional and observational clinical studies in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Sjögrens disease and Giant cell arthritis/polymyalgia rheumatica

Publications

  • Web of Science H-index: 41 and app 5000 citations
  • >200 PubMed indexed publications 
  • >140 abstracts at international conferences
  • 9 book chapters on rheumatology and on ultrasound

Teaching/supervision 

  • Supervisor on 12 (3 ongoing) PhD studies
  • Pregraduate and postgraduate teaching at University of Copenhagen
  • Postgraduate teaching in Europe, Asia, America, and Australia, particularly on ultrasound in inflammatory joint diseases 

Awards

  • Queen Ingrid Researcher Prize, 2019
  • EULAR honorary membership 2019
  • Scandinavian Rheumatology Research Foundation prize 2021
  • EULAR Centre of Excellence 2015-2020 (Awarded to COPECARE)
  • Global Excellence in Health (Awarded to COPECARE)

Honorary positions

  • OMERACT Special Interest Group on Ultrasound
  • Project evaluator for the Desir cohort, France and NOR-gout project, Norway
  • Grant evaluator for Versus arthritis, UK, 2013, 2019
  • Grant evaluator for Sociedade Portuguesa de Rheumatologia, Portugal 2015 - 2016
  • Co-chair of the OMERACT Special interest group 2016- 2023
  • EFSUMB Task and Finish Group in Rheumatology 2012-
  • EULAR Program Committee 2013 - 2018
  • Chair of the EULAR standing committee of Musculoskeletal imaging 2016 – 2018
  • Chair of the chairs: chairman for the chairmen of the EULAR Standing committees  2018-2019
  • Member of Research Council of the Danish Rheumatism Association, 2019 -
  • Member of the King Gustaf Vs 80-years foundation, Sweden 2022 ​





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