Iben Christensen

Iben Christensen serves as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor and Research Assistant in the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Humanities. Her work bridges clinical practice and academic research in communication disorders, with a focus on developing evidence-based interventions for healthcare professionals working with neurologically impaired populations.

Education:

• MA in Speech Therapy, University of Copenhagen (2009), specializing in Cognitive Communication Disorders after Traumatic Brain Injury using the FAVRES assessment tool

Christensen's research centers on Communication Partner Training (CPT) methodology, particularly for health professionals managing cognitive-communication disorders following acquired brain injuries. She developed the Health Professionals and Aphasia Questionnaire to evaluate CPT implementation, employing user-centered methodologies including cognitive interviews and video-stimulated recall with patients. Her current PhD project applies implementation science frameworks (Theoretical Domains Framework and Behavior Change Wheel) to design CPT interventions for cognitive-communication disorders. Her work emphasizes practical clinical translation while maintaining rigorous qualitative evidence synthesis standards.

Analysis of her 2024-2025 publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory examining communication dynamics across neurological conditions (TBI, dementia, aphasia). Her work consistently prioritizes patient and caregiver perspectives through qualitative evidence syntheses, while developing measurable outcomes for CPT interventions. Key methodological strengths include systematic review protocols, mixed-methods implementation research, and cross-cultural adaptation of communication tools.

Scientific Awards: No awards documented in source materials.

Christensen maintains active clinical engagement alongside academia, having served as a speech therapist at Copenhagen University Hospital (2006-2016) and Neurorehabilitering Selma Marie (2016-2019). Her external academic role included part-time lecturing at the University of Southern Denmark (2019). She leads the NEUKOM research network focused on neurological communication disorders, fostering international collaboration through country-level partnerships visible in her publication co-authorship patterns.

Her current research infrastructure includes the NEUKOM network and implementation science frameworks guiding her PhD work. Future directions indicate expansion into dementia-related communication partner training and cross-diagnostic application of CPT methodologies across neurological conditions.