Sofie Gjessing

Sofie Gjessing is a medical doctor (MD) and PhD holder serving as a Collaborator at Aalborg University's Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, with primary affiliation at the Center for General Practice. Her research and teaching focus on medical education and specialty choice patterns among Danish medical students and junior physicians, particularly regarding career pathways in general practice and primary care.

Dr. Gjessing's research program centers on longitudinal analysis of medical career decision-making, employing mixed-methods approaches to track specialty selection from undergraduate training through postgraduate practice. Her work examines structural, educational, and personal factors influencing general practice recruitment, contributing to evidence-based workforce planning. This research aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health) and 4 (Quality Education) through its focus on strengthening primary care systems and medical education.

Recent publication trends (2023-2025) reveal consistent output in high-impact medical education journals, with emphasis on Danish cohort studies using longitudinal survey designs. Her work demonstrates growing international recognition through cross-national collaborations and citations in workforce planning literature, particularly regarding general practice career intention predictors.

Notable awards include:

• Magda og Svend Aage Friederichs Mindelegat (2024)
• Student scholarship (2014)

Dr. Gjessing actively secures research funding as Principal Investigator on multiple projects including 'Specialty orientation of Danish medical students and junior doctors' (2020-2024) and 'Preferences of medical students for primary care careers in Northern Europe' (2021-2022). She mentors medical students through hands-on research participation, data analysis training, and co-authorship opportunities, with supervisees regularly presenting at national conferences.

Her primary research base is the Center for General Practice at Aalborg University, which fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, educators, and policymakers to advance general practice education and service delivery through evidence generation and knowledge translation.