The primary healthcare system is close to the new professor's heart
On 1 February 2020, Medical Doctor and PhD Per Kallestrup from Aarhus University and the Research Unit for General Practice began work in the position of professor of general medical practice and global health. He believes that the key to resolving both local and global health challenges is to be found in the primary healthcare system.
The primary health system is a general name for the prevention and treatment initiatives that take place away from the hospital itself. This may be at home, at the workplace or in the community, e.g. in a general practice and in regional and municipal health centres. And this is precisely the area and the initiatives that newly-appointed Professor Per Kallestrup works with and conducts research into, both nationally and globally.
In his new professorship, Per Kallestrup will work to strengthen the first instance in the healthcare system through operational research with relevance for and proximity to clinical everyday experience in general practice. He will increase and better enable the cooperation between citizens, general practice and municipal and regional initiatives, and do this in part through good old-fashioned community-based initiatives and through the development and utilisation of a range of innovative support tools such as e.g. tele-medicine solutions.
His approach to research is pragmatic and simple. Per Kallestrup looks at what is possible and how the available resources can be utilised better. His assessment is that we have both locally and globally a huge untapped potential for prevention and development based in the local community. Nepal is an example of how Per Kallestrup and his research colleagues have been very successful in mobilising and training volunteers from mother’s groups in rural communities in the fight against the massive increase in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and COPD.
Per Kallestrup’s research is relevant for both citizens and health professionals in the primary health service. Among other things, he hopes to contribute to the development of the collaborative and coherent healthcare system, by involving all stakeholders.
The Danish Research Foundation for General Practice is co-financing Per Kallestrup’s professorship.
Contact
Professor, Research Director & PhD Per Kallestrup
Aarhus University, Department of Public Health and
The Research Unit for General Practice
Mobile: (+45) 2092 6528
Email: per.kallestrup@ph.au.dk