Research

Aarhus University hosts a worldwide unique exposure facility equipped and staffed for human exposures.  I’m heading this core facility, where we study environmental exposures to gases O3 CO2 and PM from indoor and outdoor air pollution with and without O3. and different organic compounds like house dust  farm. These studies have included front-line methods for exposures as well as effect-outcomes and encompassed monitoring the heart, lungs incl exhaled breath, nasal volume and inflammatory markers, blood, urine, eyes, and skin. The outcomes span molecular-, cellular-, metabolomic- and inflammatory markers.
Since the outset, my studies have been focusing on individual susceptibility with a focus on atopy and gender as risk factors. My group found a lower risk of atopic sensitization in Danish farming students in the SUS-study. Later we were able to show, that this protective effect was mediated through farm upbringing. In a follow up study, we could show that the effect of farm upbringing lasts into adulthood.
My interest in gene environmental interaction (G*E) was sparked with the finding, that heterozygotes for rare Z-allele of -1-antitrypsin (A1A) had a higher risk of byssinosis among cotton workers and for bronchial responsiveness (BHR) in the SUS study of young farmers where we, as the first group, were able to demonstrate a G*E interaction between  A1A and farm-exposure for BHR. 
Since late nineties, I started to study bigger cohorts within the Danish twin registry  and the ECRHS. Here the focus broadened from respiratory diseases to NCDs and negative birth outcomes. This was truly the consequences of moving to effects of drinking water green space, and air pollution working with the CIRRAU center, the Danish Blood donor study The ELAPSE study, and the entire population in the BERTHA Project.

Profile

I study respiratory diseases, other non-communicable diseases and negative birth outcomes in several Danish cohorts. These cohorts includes collaboration with the Glostrup cohorts, the Danish twin registry, the European Lung study (ECRHS) the Danish Blood donor study and the Cancer Registry. I am studying the health effects of environmental exposures including drinking water, air pollution, green- blue space, allergens, thr microbiome Indoor and outdoor, pesticides and noise on the entire population via CIRRAU in the BERTHA Project. In the cohort studies I also investigate gene environmental interaction (G*E). 
I’m heading the core facility for human exposure studies, where we study the effects of environmental exposures to gases O3, CO2 and PM from indoor and outdoor air pollution together with colleagues from the aerosol network at AU. These studies include front-line methods for exposures as well as effect-outcomes and encompassed monitoring of the heart, lungs and inflammatory markers. The outcomes span molecular-, cellular-, metabolome- and inflammatory markers.

Cooperation and dissemination

I have a very broad field of collaboration within AU, Denmark as well as internationally.

My main collaboration partners are CIRRAU iClimate and the Departments of: Psychology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Construction and Building Design as well as Bio- and Chemical Technology. At AUH these are the Immunological, Cardiological, Neurological, Pediatric & Occupational Medicine departments

In addition, I have collaboration with DTU, KU, SDU, in connection with collaboration on larger cohorts

Internationally, I am in contact via international collaboration projects such as ECRHS, Nordic Welfair, ELAPSE as well as several EU studies, either directly or in an advisory function.

Teaching

I teach Public Health at the Medical School, and Environment and Health at the Public Health School.

I am the program director for the PhD program in Public Health