Pregnancy Complications & Future Cardiovascular Disease
Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
This is a specialised course. This means that 80% of the seats are reserved to PhD students enrolled at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at UCPH and 20% of the seats are reserved to PhD students from other Danish Universities/faculties (except CBS).
The course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD Students from NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. This also applies to PhD students from NorDoc member faculties. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.
Learning objectives
A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:
1. Have insight into multiple perspectives within the research field of pregnancy complications and cardiovascular health, including epidemiology, clinical management, interventions, public health, and policy
2. Engage in evidence-based discussions in a collaborative setting and consider alternative perspectives during a structured debate
3. Reflect on the clinical, epidemiological, and societal implications of pregnancy-related cardiovascular risk, and consider how this knowledge informs future research, practice, and public health.
Content
The course is part of the Symposium on Preeclampsia and Long-term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
The purpose of this PhD course is to provide participants with an interdisciplinary understanding of how pregnancy—and preeclampsia in particular—relates to the development of long-term cardiovascular disease in women, including perspectives on clinical management, public health strategies, and policy implications.
Day 1 is dedicated to PhD-level training and includes lectures, project presentations, interactive group discussions, and collaborative exercises.
Students will engage in activities such as:
• Introductory lectures providing a broad overview of research on pregnancy complications and cardiovascular disease, including pathophysiology, clinical implications, and public and global health perspectives
• Group work to discuss research projects and explore interdisciplinary perspectives
• Collaborative preparation for participation in discussions and debates during the symposium on day 2
The day emphasizes active learning and encourages students to connect their own research to broader scientific, clinical, and public health contexts.
Day 2 integrates the PhD course within the symposium programme. Students actively participate alongside researchers and clinicians through presentations, discussions, and interactive sessions.
Symposium sessions include:
1. Understanding Preeclampsia and Its Consequences
2. Post-preeclampsia: Follow-up Care and Risk Management
3. Interventions to Improve Long-term Outcomes
PhD student activities:
- Oral presentations of their research, with opportunities to engage in scientific discussions
- Participation in a structured panel debate with peers, international and national experts
The day concludes with a networking reception to encourage future collaborations and knowledge exchange.
Participants
The course is intended for approximately 20 PhD students. It is aimed at candidates conducting research related to pregnancy, maternal health, cardiovascular disease, epidemiology, health promotion, public health, obstetrics, or related biomedical fields. PhD students from other disciplines with an interest in cardiometabolic health or women’s health research are also welcome.
Relevance to graduate programmes
The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH:
Cardiovascular Research
Public Health and Epidemiology
Life Cycle in Medicine
Language
English
Form
Plenary lectures, discussions, group work, exercises and oral presentations
Course director
Thomas Jespersen, Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, thojes@sund.ku.dk
Teachers
Prof. Paul Leeson, University of Oxford
Prof. Janet Rich-Edwards, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard University
Prof. Manisha Nair, University of Copenhagen
TBA
Dates
Day 1: 27 May 2026, 9:30-17:00
Day 2: 28 May 2026, 8:30-18:00
Course location
Day 1: 27 May 2026
Maersk Tower, Room 7.15.149, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Nørrebro, University of Copenhagen
Day 2: 28 May 2026
Herlev Hospital, Store mødesal, 1st Floor, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 1, 2730 Herlev
Registration
Please register before 27 April 2026
Expected frequency
TBA
Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules.
Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrolment.
Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.