Anne Marie Rieffestahl

Anne Marie Rieffestahl is a medical anthropologist currently working as a Research Fellow at the Research Unit for General Practice within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. Her work focuses on qualitative studies of patient-physician relationships, patient perspectives, and medical education.

Her primary research interests include:

• Qualitative research methods and analysis
• Patient involvement and user insights
• Relationship formation in medical contexts
• Practice-near investigations
• Medical anthropology

Rieffestahl's recent work examines how medical students learn from interactions with patients, particularly those with chronic conditions. Her research reveals how empathy develops through these interactions and how patient perspectives can be better integrated into medical education. She is currently working on a project developing grant applications and research protocols for group consultations in general practice for patients with type 2 diabetes, in collaboration with Steno Diabetes Center Sjælland.

Her doctoral dissertation, defended in 2022, focused on "Medical students between the needs of patients and the demands of medical curriculum - An investigation of what and how medical students learn from experienced patients."

Rieffestahl has also conducted research on health and eating habits in Scandinavia, exploring what motivates people to follow alternative dietary advice and why it can be difficult to adhere to national dietary recommendations.