Maria Kristiansen

Board Member

Maria is Professor of Participatory Health Services Research and Research Group Leader at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her work focuses on health equity, person-centered care and the engagement of patients, families and communities in improving healthcare. She has more than 20 years of experience in research, teaching and academic leadership.

Maria previously served as Deputy Director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Deputy Head of the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen. She is also a Research Collaborator at Mayo Clinic and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

She serves on several national and international boards and advisory groups, including foundation boards, where she helps shape strategies promoting health equity and care that fits people's lives. She is a member of the steering committee of Denmark's Lighthouse Life Science initiative, working to advance health equity through partnerships. Maria also reviews research for international programs, including Horizon Europe, IHI and ERC, and regularly contributes to public debate and science communication.

Maria's interest in care is also informed by personal experiences. Having been separated from her biological family as a teenager, and later caring for and seeking care for her firstborn son, who died at seven months of age, she has a personal understanding of the importance of belonging, being seen and compassionate care. These experiences have also informed her essays and public talks.

Maria lives in Copenhagen but considers herself a global citizen. She enjoys travelling and meeting people in all their diversity, and has a particular admiration for trailblazers who dare to challenge the status quo.