Mikkel Højlund

Mikkel Højlund is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), affiliated with the Department of Regional Health Research. He also serves as a medical doctor at the Department of Psychiatry Aabenraa under the Mental Health Services in the Region of Southern Denmark. His research focuses on observational data analysis from electronic health records and meta-analytical techniques to study psychiatric disorders and psychotropic drug use, particularly the efficacy and safety of antipsychotics across psychiatric spectra. He holds an MD (2018) and PhD (2022) from SDU.

Education: PhD, University of Southern Denmark (2022); MD, University of Southern Denmark (2018).

Research Interests: Psychopharmacology, pharmacoepidemiology, antipsychotic drug safety, cardiometabolic risk, schizophrenia, and systematic review methods. His work emphasizes real-world drug utilization patterns, off-label prescribing, and translational research linking clinical practice to population-level outcomes.

Key Contributions: Pioneered studies on low-dose quetiapine's cardiovascular risks, antipsychotic polypharmacy reduction strategies, and pediatric antipsychotic use. His research has influenced clinical guidelines and regulatory policies in mental health pharmacotherapy.

• Grants/Projects:
  • MAPP: Monitoring arrhythmias in antipsychotic-treated patients (2020–2026)
  • Pharmacoepidemiology of low-dose antipsychotics (2019–2022)
• Awards:
  • Stanley A. Edlavitch Award (2021)
  • Årets juniorforsker (2021)

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Research Unit of Mental Health Services Aabenraa and international networks on global psychopharmacology initiatives.