New Doctor of Medical Science specialising in diabetes in Greenland

How do we provide the best treatment and knowledge for people with diabetes, when many of them live in a tiny settlement in a remote corner of Greenland many hours from medical help? This is the subject of a doctoral dissertation which medical specialist in general practice and PhD Michael Lynge Pedersen from the Greenland Center for Health Research, University of Greenland, has just successfully defended at Aarhus University.

Michael Lynge Pedersen has described the use of a new model for diabetes care in Greenland over a decade. Viewed in an historical perspective, diabetes is a newer disease in Greenland, being among other things a consequence of the country's rapid transformation from a subsistence hunting society to a welfare state. Far more Greenlanders have type-2 diabetes today compared to half a century ago. Population studies have previously shown that ten per cent of the adult population over the age of 35 has type 2 diabetes, while twenty per cent have its initial stages. On top of this, one in five Greenlanders has a genetic variant which means they have a particularly high risk of developing diabetes. This should be seen in combination with the very specific challenges faced by Greenland’s health care system due to factors including long distances, sparsely populated areas and a lack of permanent healthcare professionals.

With the diabetes model, Michael Lynge Pedersen shows the best way to carry out good diabetes care under these conditions. According to the new Doctor of Medical Science, it will also be possible to transfer the model for diabetes treatment to other chronic diseases and thus benefit the general health of the population in Greenland.

Michael Lynge Pedersen receives his higher doctoral degree at Health, Aarhus University, where he was also formerly a PhD student.

The defence took place on 8 March 2019. The title of his dissertation is: “Diabetes in Greenland 2008-2017. A new model of diabetes care in Greenland based on continued monitoring, analysis and adjustment of initiatives taken”.

Contact

Medical specialist, DMSc Michael Lynge Pedersen
Email: milp@peqqik.gl