Gritt Overbeck

Gritt Overbeck serves as Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Department for Education in the Section of General Practice at the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. She also functions as a Work Package Lead in research projects and serves as Editor for BMC Primary Care starting November 2024.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Implementation Science from University of Copenhagen (2014-2017, awarded December 1, 2017) with thesis on 'Implementing Collaborative Care for anxiety and depression in Denmark'
• Master's degree in Language Psychology (Cand. mag. Sprogpsykologi) from University of Copenhagen (2009-2012, awarded August 1, 2012) with thesis on 'Secure Talks - communication in safety-critical environment'

Overbeck's research primarily focuses on the development and evaluation of complex healthcare interventions that involve multiple stakeholders. Her work examines collaboration between general practice, hospitals, and municipalities to improve patient care pathways, with particular interest in implementation science, psycho-social wellbeing in children, and the intersection between scientific evidence and legislation. She applies methodologies including Normalization Process Theory and process evaluation to understand how healthcare innovations are integrated into practice.

Her recent publications reveal strong trends in primary care research, child and adolescent mental health, implementation of complex interventions, and patient experiences. Much of her work centers on practical applications in Danish healthcare settings while contributing to international implementation science literature. She frequently employs qualitative and mixed methods approaches to understand healthcare processes and stakeholder perspectives.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Magda og Svend Aage Friederichs mindelegat (2024)

Overbeck teaches the 'Early Patient Contact and Basic Ethics' course in the medical bachelor's program and research methodology in general practitioner specialist training. She supervises master's and bachelor's theses, primarily focusing on qualitative literature reviews examining patient or professional experiences. Her research has been supported by grants from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Lundbeck Foundation, and Velux Foundation. She has held external positions including Senior Researcher at the University of Southern Denmark (September 2021-February 2023) and will serve as Editor for BMC Primary Care starting November 2024.

Her current research includes the 'FamilyWellbeing in General Practice' project investigating implementation of enhanced psychosocial interventions in child health examinations, and the 'LightCom' project studying patient experiences in weight loss interventions across Denmark and England.