Christine Stabell Benn

Christine Stabell Benn is a Professor in Global Health at the University of Southern Denmark and leads the Research Center for Vitamins and Vaccines at Statens Serum Institut. She is also the Head of the Bandim Health Project (Copenhagen Division), a long-term research initiative in Guinea-Bissau.

• Medical Doctor (1996), PhD (2003), Doctor of Medical Science (2011) from the University of Copenhagen
• ERC Starting Grant recipient (2010)
• Established the Research Center for Vitamins and Vaccines (2012)

Dr. Benn’s research focuses on non-specific effects of vaccines and vitamin A supplementation, particularly how these interventions modulate immune responses and mortality differently in males and females. Her work bridges epidemiological studies in Africa with clinical trials in Denmark, emphasizing the importance of trained immunity and sex-based immunology. She has published 288 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 41), including influential reviews in Trends Immunology and Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Key awards include the George Macdonald Medal (2023), the University of Southern Denmark’s Innovation Prize (2019), and multiple grants recognizing her leadership as a female researcher. Her TEDx talk (2018) and role as Chair of the Danish Institute for Advanced Studies (2017) highlight her impact in science communication and institutional leadership.