Professor of Shared Decision-making and Professional Development (combined position)

University of Southern Denmark · Denmark

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Professor of Shared Decision-making and Professional Development 

A combined position as Professor (50%) and as Research Director (50%) is vacant at the Department of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and at the Centre for Shared Decision Making, Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, respectively.

The position is offered for five years, with the possibility of extension.

• The academic position
• The professor will advance research into shared decision-making (SDM) and the involvement of patients and their relatives, as well as the professional development required to integrate these approaches into clinical practice. The professor will be part of the management team at the joint centre at Lillebælt Hospital and will foster coherence between research, education and implementation. The professor will be appointed at the Department of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, SDU. The academic field combines SDM with professional development for healthcare professionals. Interdisciplinary research and collaboration across clinical settings are expected and central to the position.

• Research leadership and responsibilities
• At Lillebaelt Hospital, the professor/appointee will serve as Research Director. Together with the Centre Director, the Research Director forms the joint center leadership. The Research Director has line management responsibility for academic staff and overall scientific and strategic responsibility for research activities associated with the Center for Shared Decision Making (CFFB) and the Center for Involvement of Relatives (CEPI). The two leadership roles work closely together on the development of the centers.

The professor is expected responsible for:

• Strategic Research Leadership and Centre Management
  The position as professor includes overall scientific and strategic responsibility for the research units affiliated with both CFFB and CEPI as well as their interdisciplinary research group. This includes line management and academic leadership of researchers, ensuring the stable operation of the centers, and maintaining strategic oversight of the centers’ grant portfolio and funding pipeline.
• Fundraising and External Research Funding
  The professor is expected to secure substantial external research funding from national and international funding bodies to ensure the long-term sustainability and development of the centers’ research activities.
• Practice-Oriented Empirical Research
  The professor is expected to develop and lead empirical research SDM projects with a particular focus on the perspectives of patients, relatives, and healthcare professionals within different diseases, specialties and healthcare settings, while contributing to the advancement of qualitative and applied research methodologies such as action research.
• Development of Educational Resources, Curriculum Design, and Educational Transformation
  The position requires designing and developing practical educational tools and implementation resources — e.g., learning materials — that support healthcare professionals’ learning and continuing professional development in clinical practice performing SDM.
• Teaching, lecturing, supervising and disseminating knowledge
  The professor should teach and mentor postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduate students. Participation in assessment work is part of the position. Additionally, profiling this research area in the public eye will be an important task.

• Research activity, network and collaboration
• The candidate is expected to demonstrate prior experience with research activities in terms of networks and collaborations. The professor is expected to increase research activity at the research unit and to expand collaboration with other researchers at hospitals in the Region of Southern Denmark, at SDU, the rest of Denmark and internationally.

• The position as Research Director at the Centre for Shared Decision Making (CFFB)
• The Professorship in Shared Decision-making and Professional Development at the Center for Shared Decision Making, Vejle, Denmark, is established to support the continued implementation of Lillebaelt Hospital’s research strategy and the hospital’s overarching commitment to placing the patient at the center of care.

Over the past decade, the Center has conducted research on evidence-based approaches to SDM and has demonstrated that SDM is associated with high patient satisfaction and improved adherence to agreed treatment plans. The professorship will build on this strong research foundation by advancing knowledge on the implementation of SDM and the continuing professional development of healthcare professionals. International research consistently shows that achieving sustained and authentic SDM practice in everyday clinical care remains a significant implementation challenge. Changing professional practices and departmental cultures requires more than time-limited projects or implementation initiatives. Sustainable integration of SDM depends on ongoing and continuous competence development that supports long-term changes in clinical practice.

This professorship is positioned at the intersection of health sciences research, implementation in clinical practice, and professional development through applied educational research. The core purpose of the position is to strengthen and transform the healthcare system’s capacity for meaningful patient and family involvement through SDM.

The professorship requires strategic research leadership from a scholar with extensive expertise in lifelong learning, learning theory, curriculum theory, and action research, and with the ability to translate this knowledge into continuing professional development for healthcare professionals. The professor is expected to lead the national and international research agenda on how SDM can be integrated meaningfully and sustainably into routine clinical practice, to achieve enduring behavioral change among healthcare professionals.

Qualifications
The required qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent post-graduate research qualification and demonstrate scientific achievements at a level appropriate for appointment as Professor.
• The position calls for expertise in educational science as applied to the professional development of healthcare staff or other types of welfare staff, together with substantial knowledge of and research contributions to SDM.
• The applicant should be able to demonstrate experience of teaching and lecturing at university and postgraduate level, as well as experience as principal supervisor on PhD projects and academic assessment work, as evidenced by the teaching portfolio.
• Danish language skills are not required at the time of appointment, but must be mastered at proficiency level C1, at the Common European Framework of References for Languages within the first 2 years of employment.

The ideal candidate preferably demonstrates:

• The candidate should demonstrate experience with leadership capacity with the ability to lead research teams, drive cultural change, and contribute strategically to the development of the centers.
• The candidate holds experience in research management, interdisciplinary collaboration, and attraction of external funding for professional development and/or SDM-oriented activities will be considered an advantage.
• The candidate preferably demonstrates experience with practice-oriented empirical research. Research that is aimed at both an international research community, and ideally also at the target group of professionals in Denmark; therefore, publications and outputs are welcome to be in Danish – whether in the form of books, leaflets, journal publications or other material designed to ensure that both professionals undertaking continuing professional development in Denmark and students on undergraduate program are best supported and thereby ensuring impact.
• The candidate has prior experience with developing, implementing, and/or evaluating educational programs, frameworks, and curricula for continuing professional development, preferably in terms of SDM-related competencies. Experience of developing and evaluating continuing professional education in clinical settings is valued.
• The preferred candidate can motivate and supervise, has proven research management skills, good interpersonal skills in charge of a research group, and has a clear vision for how to further strengthen the research unit at CFFB as strong interpersonal and collaborative skills are essential.
• The successful applicant will have documented experience of leading research and researchers, obtain external funding and work across disciplines and organizations.

• Employers
• CFFB is a national knowledge and competence center based at Lillebaelt Hospital. Since 2014, it has researched SDM and since 2019 developed approaches for implementation in clinical practice. CEPI works to strengthen meaningful involvement of relatives. The centers retain their distinct areas of responsibility while collaborating closely on research and practice. Lillebaelt Hospital provides somatic and mental healthcare across sites in Vejle, Kolding and Middelfart. Patient and family involvement is central to their approach to care.

SDU's Department of Regional Health Research links research and education with hospitals and clinical environments across the Region of Southern Denmark. The Department of Regional Health Research supports research in relation to the person as a whole, the good life and the more common diseases, makes out a platform for scientists and educators and builds a bridge between University of Southern Denmark, The Region of Southern Denmark, the hospitals in the region and the patient. The department focuses on the continuity of patient care across sectors, hospitals, and specialist fields.

• Reference
• The professor and research director will refer to the hospital management regarding matters concerning the management of the centres, and to the Head of the Department of Regional Health Research, Mikkel Brabrand, in matters regarding the professorship.

• Contact information
• Further information concerning the position can be obtained by contacting:

• The Research Coordinator at Lillebælt Hospital, Jonna Skov Madsen, Jonna.Skov.Madsen@rsyd.dk, phone: +45 30507825
• The Director of the Centre, Karina Olling, Karina.Olling@rsyd.dk, phone: +45 51518696
• The Head of the Department of Regional Health Research, SDU, Mikkel Brabrand, mbrabrand@health.sdu.dk, phone: +45 93534980

• Salary and terms of employment
• The successful applicant for the professor position will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

The position as Professor is salaried in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and on terms corresponding to salary grade 37 of the Danish state salary system. Additional qualification- and function-related allowances may be negotiated.

The work location will be at Center for Shared Decision Making (Center for Fælles Beslutningstagning), Beriderbakken 4, 7100 Vejle, Denmark.

• Application
• Applications must be submitted electronically using the link “Apply now” - see below.

We strongly recommend that you read how to apply for a position at SDU before you apply.

For technical issues, please contact: hcm-support@sdu.dk.

Only applications written in English will be accepted for evaluation.

The application must include (as PDF files) (please note that the application (the motivation letter) and CV must not exceed 10 MB in total):

• An application
• A detailed CV
• Degree certificates (inclusive of Ph.D.-diploma or equivalent)
• A complete and numbered list of publications
• 10 scientific peer-reviewed publications considered by the candidate as most important for this position (please notice that one pdf file must be attached for each publication)
• It is permitted to merge the 10 scientific peer-reviewed publications into a single PDF file due to upload constraints.
• A teaching portfolio detailing the candidate’s prior teaching experience, teaching skills, and teaching philosophy
• Track record in obtaining research funding
• National and international research collaboration and collaborations with researchers in other disciplines and sectors
• A research plan detailing the candidate’s ideas and plans for her/his future research work

Please note that all the above-mentioned information must be included in the application. Incomplete applications with regards to the above-mentioned requirements will not be assessed.

Applications received after the deadline and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The application deadline is 11 November 2026 at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST).

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

• Assessment
• Shortlisting will be used as part of the initial selection process.

Assessment of shortlisted applications will be done under the existing Appointment Order for universities. Shortlisted applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and, if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. 

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicants will receive part of the evaluation that concerns themselves. 

References will be obtained for the preferred candidate from their current and previous employers. Applicants invited for interview should expect to complete a work-related personality assessment.

• Living and working in Denmark
• Foreign applicants will be offered Danish language training as part of the employment.

The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark.

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