Gunn Pettersen

Gunn Pettersen is Professor of Mental Health Work at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Health and Care Sciences, and leads the research group Public Health and Rehabilitation. She also holds a temporary clinical position at the Regional Centre for Eating Disorders, Children and Adolescent Clinic, University Hospital of Northern Norway, directing the competence programme Body and Self-Esteem.

Education and academic roles:

• Professor of Mental Health Work – Master’s Programme in Mental Health Work, UiT
• Course Leader – HEL-8040 Theory of Science, Research Ethics and Research Design
• PhD & Master’s supervisor

Research interests: Prof Pettersen’s work centres on evidence-based treatment of eating disorders, especially Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for children and adolescents, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) in elite female athletes, sleep disturbances and cognitive-behavioural insomnia therapy among chronic pain patients, and patient & public involvement (PPI) in health research. She further explores mobile-health (mHealth) interventions to promote physical activity in people with intellectual disability, and recovery processes following long-term substance-use disorders.

Publication trends: Across 2020-2025 her output reflects three converging strands: (1) large-scale randomized controlled trials testing exercise- and dietary-based treatments for eating disorders; (2) prospective cohort studies mapping RED-S prevalence and mental-health trajectories in adolescent elite athletes; and (3) qualitative and mixed-methods studies examining patient experiences, implementation challenges, and stakeholder engagement in both clinical and community settings.

Scientific honours & awards:
None explicitly listed in the provided text.

Grants & projects:

• Leader – “Serving anorexia nervosa among children and adolescents: Enhancing feasibility and acceptability of FBT”
• Member – Health project “Prevalence of low energy availability and its relation to health and performance among female football players”
• Member – Patient and public involvement in health research initiative
• MH vest L.12.334 grant recipient

Laboratory, team & professional networks: Prof Pettersen heads the Public Health and Rehabilitation research group at UiT and collaborates closely with the Folkehelse og rehabilitering (FFRC) network and the Regional Centre for Eating Disorders at the University Hospital of Northern Norway, fostering multi-disciplinary teams spanning psychology, medicine, nutrition, and sports science.