Research interests
My research interests are related to clinical research questions in physiotherapy in primary health care and interdisciplinary rehabilitation within rheumatology. My interests are mainly patients with medical unexplainable symptoms who are suffering from persistent pain, fatigue, and restricted daily functioning. Recently in particular, I have been occupied in studying illness and recovery narratives of patients with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and long-Covid, as well as coproducing and evaluating a new interdisciplinary patient education program together with an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team where translating patients' recovery experiences from research are included into the program. Additionally, I am engaged in examining narratives of patients with cancer and their next of kin's experiences of home death.
Academic interests
- Illness and recovery narratives
- Functioning, fatigue and pain
- Medical unexplained symptoms and rheumatic inflammatory diseases
- Quantitative and qualitative methodology
Courses taught
Master in interdisciplinary Health Sciences:
- Helsef 4400 Theoretical thinking and knowledge development in interdisciplinary health research
- Helsef 4420 Qualitative research methods
- Helsef 4406 Functioning and evaluation
- Helsef 4503 Master thesis
PhD students
- Writing a synopsis
Background
- Professor Dep. Health Sciences from 2004-
- Associate professor Dep. Health Sciences 2000-04
- PhD, University of Oslo, the Medical Faculty 1998
- Supervisor of physiotherapy students in clinical work, PhD student and FOU-leader at Oslo Sanitetsforenings Rheumatism Hospital 1985-2000
- Physiotherapist in primary health care 1975-85
- Specialist in manual therapy 1984.
- Registered physiotherapist 1974
- Pedagogy, University of Oslo 1970-71
Awards
- 2016 The Quality Assurance in master- and bachelor education awarded by the Medical Faculty, University of Oslo
- 2011 NOKUT quality in higher education awarded to the Dep Health Sciences
- 2006 “Musculoskeletal Award” – awarded by the Group for Manual Therapy, Norwegian Physiotherapy Association
- 1995 ”Rehabilitation – it works”. Awarded by the Norwegian Physiotherapy Association, sponsored by Gjensidige Insurance Company.
- 1991 “Sport and Health” - Group for Sport Medicine and Sport Physiotherapy, Norwegian Physiotherapy Association - sponsored by Vital Insurance Company
Positions (recently)
- Panel member of the Norwegian Women Association (2019 - )
- Mentor programme for female postdoctors at the University of Oslo (2020-2021)
- Panel member of the Research Professorships program, National Institute of Health Research, England (2015 - 2020)
- Member of the COST network group of Chronic fatigue/ME in the EU, (2016 - 2020)
- Leader of the research group- Illness, Recovery and Health, now SELMA until 2019
Collaboration (currently)
Clinicians at Lillehammer Rheumatism Hospital, and researchers at Oslo Metropolitan University, VID, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Finland, Keele University, UK and Stavanger University Hospital.