Kristian Larsen

Kristian Larsen serves as Professor at the Department of Public Health within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen. His scholarly work integrates health research, sociology, and educational methodologies, with particular emphasis on applying Pierre Bourdieu's relational thinking to analyze healthcare institutions, professional practices, and patient relationships. His research has made significant contributions to understanding health inequality within Nordic contexts, especially in Norway.

Education:

• Ph.D. awarded June 30, 2000

Larsen's research program spans health services research, medical sociology, and educational theory. He specializes in Bourdieu's theoretical framework to examine how social structures influence healthcare delivery and health outcomes. His work demonstrates how institutional practices, professional hierarchies, and patient experiences interact within healthcare systems. He has extensive experience teaching the integration of theoretical frameworks with research methods and empirical data analysis in health sciences.

His recent publications (2023-2025) reveal three dominant research trajectories: immigrant healthcare professionals in Nordic systems, neuroscience applications of psychedelic substances, and community-based rehabilitation practices. These works employ diverse methodologies including qualitative analysis, scoping reviews, and neuroimaging techniques, demonstrating his interdisciplinary approach across public health, social science, and clinical research domains.

Larsen leads the Nordic Bourdieu organisation (www.hexis.dk) which publishes the journal www.praktiskegrunde.dk, and co-leads the Danish-Norwegian network on trauma rehabilitation (www.phlegethon.net). His scholarly impact extends to policy engagement, particularly through his widely discussed 2023 feature article on integrating foreign medical professionals into the Danish healthcare system.