Profile

I am a senior researcher at the Risk-benefit Research Group of the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Head of PhD School at DTU Food. My overall research goals are to improve risk management and decision-making in public health and food safety policy through data analysis, epidemiology, and a range of multidisciplinary approaches. My research activities focus on applying health metrics and burden of disease models, and on quantitative risk and risk-benefit assessments to provide evidence for national, regional, and international public health policy. I am a member of the World Health Organization Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (WHO/FERG), where I am chair of the Source Attribution Task Force. I hold an MS degree in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD degree in Epidemiology.

Other information

2023

FAO-WHO Expert Consultation on Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption

2021-Present

Core Group Member of the Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group, WHO. Chair of Source Attribution Task Force

2019-2024

European Burden of Disease Network, COST ACTION 18218. Member of Core Group and Chair of Infectious Diseases Working Group

2016

Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli FAO/WHO Expert Group, 2016 - 2018

Joint FAO/WHO expert meetings on microbiological risk assessment (JEMRA), 2016-2021

2013

Research stay at the Nutritional Research Institute in Lima, Peru: Estimating the regional and global incidence and mortality of diarrheal diseases caused by 11 foodborne hazards (July 2013).

2008

Research stay at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Enteric Disease Epidemiology Branch, Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Georgia: Attribution of human salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis in European countries using data from outbreak investigations (January to June 2008).

2007

Research stay at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Laboratory of Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology Bilthoven, The Netherlands: Attribution of human salomonellosis by comparative exposure assessment (February  to April 2007).

2005 

Internship in Microbiological Risk assessment: Relative risk of Shigatoxin- producing E. coli in imported and domestic fresh meat, Swiss Federal Veterinary Office (1st of June to 30th  of July).

Internship in Microbiological Risk Assessment: Risk Assessment for Verocytotoxin-ProducingEscherichia coli (VTEC) in humans in Denmark, Danish Meat and bacon Council, Copenhagen (1^st of February to 4^th of March).

2004

Internship in Toxicological Risk Assessment: Mercury in fish: assessment of the risk for a group of Portuguese consumers; development of stochastic and deterministic models, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Lisbon, Technical University of Lisbon (1^st of October to 31^st of January).

Language Skills:
English
Portuguese
Spanish
Italian

Research areas

Burden of disease studies.

Source attribution studies of foodborne diseases.

Quantitative Risk-benefit Assessment.

Health impacts of foods and diets.

Holistic impacts of dietary shifts.