Centre for Population Health
The Centre for Population Health studies the impact of mental health care at the population level using registry data. We investigate the long-term consequences of mental disorders, as well as the effects of different interventions. The Centre is funded through the Strategic Research Initiatives programme of Helse Vest (2025–2029), along with additional grants from the Research Council of Norway and other research funders.
- Develop methods and study designs to examine the effects of health services on population health and long-term life outcomes, including both intended and unintended (iatrogenic) consequences.
- Assess the effectiveness of health services on population-level outcomes both in areas where evidence of impact exists, and in areas where such evidence is lacking.
- Improve our understanding of the causes of sudden changes in the prevalence of disorders and their consequences.
- Enhance our understanding of supply-driven demand for health services.
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Prosjekta
Employees and key partners
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Arnstein Mykletun is head of the Centre for Population Health in the Division of Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital. He is also a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, professor at the Department of Community Medicine at the University of Tromsø, and research leader at the Center for Work and Mental Health at Nordland Hospital Trust.
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Ingvar Bjelland is a psychiatrist with a PhD in epidemiology and professor at the University of Bergen. He was previously the chief physician for CAMHS at Bergen Health University Hospital, and now leads the RCN-funded project PRO-DIALOG, with the goal of improving interdisciplinary collaboration and treatment approaches.
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Olav Nyttingnes is a psychologist with a PhD and a researcher at Haukeland University Hospitaland and Akershus University Hospital. He has extensive experience in health policy and project management, including from the Norwegian Council for Mental Health and the secretariat for NOU 2011:9 (Paulsrud Committee).
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Tore Hofstad is a political scientist and works as a researcher at the Centre for Population Health. He has previously worked in acute psychiatry and has a PhD on geographical variation in involuntary admissions in mental health care.
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Lise Gulli Brokjøb is research coordinator at the Centre for Population Health and has research experience in body image, eating disorders, interoception and minority stress, with a particular focus on mental health in marginalised groups.
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Eirik Stangeland Håheim
PhD fellow and Psychologist
Eirik Stangeland Håheim is a psychologist and doctoral candidate. He researches variations in serious mental disorders and the use of involuntary hospitalisation in mental health care. He has previously worked with patients with addiction.
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Eóin Killackey
Chief of Research & Knowledge Translation and Professor
Eóin Killackey is Chief of Research and Knowledge Translation at Orygen, Professor at the University of Melbourne, and adjunct researcher at the Centre for Population Health. His research focuses on functional recovery for young people with mental health disorders, particularly interventions within education and employment.
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Emily Simonoff
Professor
Emily Simonoff is the Director for King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People at King’s College London. She has served two terms as a Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Health and care Research in the UK and is recognised for her clinical and academic work in child and adolescent psychiatry.
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David McDaid
Economist & Associate Professor
David McDaid is an Associate Professor and Research Fellow in Health Policy and Health Economics at the London School of Economics. He has extensive experience in mental health and public health, and has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization and the European Commission.
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Samuele Cortese
Professor
Samuele Cortese is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Southampton and Honorary Consultant to the Solent NHS Trust in the UK. He is also Professor at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy and Adjunct Professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is an expert in neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and is Chair of the European ADHD Guidelines Group.
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Felix Elwert
Professor
Felix Elwert is the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Sociology and Biostatistics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States. He is an expert in applied causal analysis and researches the causes of social and health inequalities.
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Simen Markussen
Researcher, Economist, and Director of the Frisch Centre
Simen Markussen is the Director of the Frisch Centre, affiliated with the University of Oslo. He is one of Norway's most prominent social economists in public debate, with research spanning the labour market, sickness absence, and social security systems.
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Bjørn Hofmann
Professor
Bjørn Morten Hofmann is a professor at the Center for Medical Ethics at the University of Oslo and at NTNU in Gjøvik. His research focuses on ethical aspects of health services, practice variation, coercion and gender incongruence.
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Erik Johnsen
Psychiatrist and Professor
Erik Johnsen is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Bergen, and Chief Physician at the Department of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital. Since March 2024, he has been the Center Director of the Mohn Research Center for Psychotic Disorders (MRCP). He is also the Director of the Bergen Psychosis Research Group (BPRG) and the Board Chairman of the Norwegian Network for Serious Mental Illnesses (NORSMI).
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Trond F. Aarre
Psychiatrist and Author
Trond F. Aarre is a specialist in psychiatry and addiction medicine. He is Head of Department at Nordfjord Psychiatric Center and Clinical Lead for Mental Health Services at Helse Førde. Aarre has extensive experience in promoting patient-centered, interdisciplinary services with less use of coercion. He is also the author of several professional books within psychiatry and addiction medicine.
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Maria Fagerbakke Strømme
Researcher and medical practitioner
Maria Fagerbakke Strømme is a medical practitioner and researcher at the Division of Psychiatry at Bergen Health. She is involved in research on the use of antipsychotic medications in psychotic disorders and practice variation in this field.
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Sharon Stevelink
Professor
Sharon Stevelink is a Professor of Applied Epidemiology and Occupational Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London. Her research focuses on work and mental health, with a particular emphasis on the impact of military service and the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. She leads several research projects and is a member of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council.
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Leila Torgersen
Senior Researcher and Psychologist
Leila Torgersen is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and a psychologist. She has led the work to establish a registry for studies of gender incongruence across age groups and has experience with cross-sectoral collaboration on services for children and young people.
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Kristian Amundsen Østby
Researcher and General Practitioner
Kristian Østby is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and a part-time GP. Østby and Mykletun have developed a registry-based project to study unintended effects of the financing of the GP scheme.
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Anne Hege Strand has a PhD in sociology and works at Fafo in Oslo. Her research focuses on the effects of policymaking at the intersection of the health, welfare and education sectors, with a particular emphasis on service user perspectives and societal trends related to mental disorders.
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Thomas Lorentzen
Professor
Thomas Lorentzen is a professor of sociology at the University of Bergen. His research focuses on life-course transitions, economic marginalisation, and social welfare, with a particular emphasis on quantitative methods and the use of register data.
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Inge Joa
Researcher and Associate Professor
Inge Joa is head of the Quality Register for Adult Mental Health Care at Stavanger University Hospital and associate professor at the University of Stavanger. He has extensive experience with early intervention in psychosis and quality improvement in mental health care.
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Wenche ten Velden Hegelstad
Research Lead & Specialist Psychologist
Wenche Ten Velden Helgestad is a specialist psychologist at Stavanger University Hospital and associate professor at University of Stavanger. She heads the TIPS Center for Clinical Psychosis Research and is a leading expert on early intervention in psychotic disorders, with a focus on increasing employment and preventing social exclusion among young people.
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Beate Brinchmann
Researcher and Specialist Psychologist
Beate Brinchmann is a specialist psychologist with a PhD at Nordland Hospital Trust and head of the Competence Service for Work and Mental Health, the only national service with a mandate from the Regional Health Trust. She works to strengthen integrated measures across the fields of work and health.
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Nils Abel Aars
Researcher
Nils Abel Aars has a PhD in epidemiology and works as a postdoctoral fellow at the Competence Center for Work and Mental Health at Nordland Hospital Trust. He coordinates two large RCTs in work and health, with a high number of research participants.
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Miguel Garcia-Argibay
Epidemiologist and Psychologist
Miguel Garcia-Argibay is a psychologist and epidemiologist with a PhD in psychology. He researches ADHD, cardiovascular disease, and comorbidity, using national registry data and advanced methods such as Bayesian statistics and machine learning.
