The research focuses on women's lives and living conditions, seen from a social, psycho-logical and physiological perspective as well as on gender differences. Current research projects are investigating, among other things, eating disorders, abortion, medical education, stress, health and work, normality and handicap, and ethical issues in relation to medical technology.

History

Periodically, the staff also teaches gender research and international health at the Nordic School of Public Health in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2001, the Department of Women and Gender Research in Medicine organized an international seminar on Gender, Sexuality and HIV in Africa. In 2003, a course as well as a seminar on Male and Female Circumcision were carried out based on national and international experiences. A number of books (mainly in Danish) have been published based on previous seminar proceedings and also from the above-mentioned seminar. The publication based on our international seminar in 2001 is published in English: Gender, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS – Research and Intervention in Africa.

The staff in the Institute of Public Health is constituted by medical doctors, historians, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists etc. At the time being, the Department of Women and Gender Research in Medicine has three permanent employees, a large number of staff from other departments as well as external researchers. The permanent employees are the following:

Birgit Petersson, MD, director of department, psychiatrist, associate professor.

An independent course on women and gender is now under preparation within this framework with the participation of the Department of Women and Gender Research in Medicine. Our department will still be responsible for the Ph.D. courses in women and gender research under the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Over the years several Ph.D. students have been attached to and supervised by the Department. At present two Ph.D. students are attached to the Department and two are applying for attachment.

The Department has also participated in various international activities. Birgit Petersson has for several years been part of GRACE, the Scientific Group, Equal Opportunities Unit, DGV European Commission: Employment, Industrial Relations and Social Affairs, Brussels. She has also organized a number of seminars and conferences among others an International Congress on Environment, Daily Life and Health: Women’s Strategies for our Common Future, Copenhagen, 1992, the XI World Congress of Psychiatry in Hamburg in 1999 and in Berlin in 2001. In 2002 and 2003, she organized one workshop in Japan and one in Island on ‘Work and Stress’ and ‘Gender and Mental Health’, respectively. Birgit Petersson has for several years been part of the steering group for Women’s Mental Heath within the World Psychiatric Association. Related to this, she collaborates with researchers in Canada, USA, Pakistan and Peru. Her research focuses on reproductive health (abortion, birth), ethics in relation to medical technology; gender differences in illness and health in daily life in particular mental health; and medicalization.

Margrethe Silberschmidt’s field of specialization includes gender and sexual and reproductive health and behaviour, including HIV/AIDS primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa where she has carried out research over the past two decades. At present she is carrying out a comparative research study on ‘Masculinities and Sexual and Reproductive Behaviour in Tanzania and Uganda’. Related to this she collaborates with the Institute of Public Health, University of Dar es Salaam and the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Kampala. In addition, Margrethe Silberschmidt has presented her work at a number of international conferences and seminars (e.g. USA, South Africa, Brazil, England and the Nordic countries). Over a number of years she has been a member of Danida’s working group on Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS as well a member of the Nordic Reproductive Health Group (NORFA).

Hanne Bang has joined the Department again after having dealt with gender issues in Afghanistan for the past couple of years. Her research focuses primarily on issues of handicap, normality and identity but also on sexual and reproductive health.