Maximizing human developmental
potential

The University of Copenhagen is the largest university of Denmark and member of the IARU alliance. The research conducted at the Faculty of Health Sciences covers a wide range; from basic biomedical research, through clinical studies, to epidemiologic projects dealing with disease aetiologies and with health promotion. The Department of Public Health is the largest (both in terms of number of personnel and scientific output per employee) of thirteen departments in Faculty of Health Sciences. Within the Department of Public Health, the Section of Social Medicine is the largest section, encompassing 75 persons of which approximately 60 are scientific staff. The research focus in the Section of Social Medicine is life-course epidemiology, covered by four research themes: early life, disease prevention and rehabilitation, health effects of psycho-social stress, and healthy aging. The research group on Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology, led by. Prof. Nybo Andersen, explores how exposures during the earliest phases of life affect child health, using birth cohort data and national register data.