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Alma Becic Pedersen

Title

Professor, consultant, PhD, MD

Primary affiliation

Alma Becic Pedersen CV

Areas of expertise

  • Epidemiology
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Patient safety
  • Postoperative complications
  • Register-based studies

Contact information

Telephone number
Email address

Profile

I am a Professor in Patient Safety and Head of AROSE (Aarhus Research Group in Orthopedic Surgery Epidemiology) research group at the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University. I have supervised more than 25 PhD students and medical research year students, and I have established a unique interdisciplinary research environment with strong connections to an extensive national and international research network.

In addition, I am a Senior Staff Specialist at Aarhus University Hospital.

I received my medical degree from the University of Zagreb and hold both a PhD in Medicine and a Doctoral Degree (DMSc) from Aarhus University.

My research has been supported by, among others, the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University, the Danish Rheumatism Association, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Independent Research Fund Denmark.

I also serve as a Career Ambassador at Health, Aarhus University.

Research

My research focuses on patient safety and clinical epidemiological research in orthopedic surgery, with a particular emphasis on the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders in patients with osteoarthritis and fractures. The overall aim of my research is to improve our understanding of the clinical course of these conditions and to establish an evidence-based foundation for enhancing the quality of care, patient safety, clinical pathways, and reducing the risk of complications.
 
My research investigates risk factors for and the underlying mechanisms of serious complications, including bone and joint infections, healthcare-associated infections, reoperations, and chronic opioid use, as well as the impact of these complications on patient outcomes and prognosis. In addition, I develop prediction models to identify patients at increased risk of complications and to support clinical decision-making. These projects are conducted in close collaboration with leading national and international researchers.

Consultancy

I teach in the Master’s Degree Programme in Medicine at Aarhus University, where I am responsible for the elective course “Clinical Epidemiological Research Methods: Evidence-Based Medicine and Effective Protocol Writing.” The course places epidemiological methods within a clinical and patient-centered context and provides students with a fundamental understanding of the epidemiological toolbox, including relevant study designs and data sources, as well as their strengths and limitations. In addition, students are introduced to the use of large-scale epidemiological data for research and quality improvement.

I also teach the newly established elective course “Patient Safety in Clinical Practice: Turning Errors into Learning Opportunities” in the Master’s Degree Programme in Medicine at Aarhus University. The course provides students with a fundamental understanding of key patient safety principles and insight into the most common errors, adverse events, unintended incidents, and complications in healthcare. It also explores how the complex factors and their interactions influence patient safety. Furthermore, students are introduced to the tools and methods used to prevent and learn from errors and patient harm, including systems thinking and patient safety analyses such as root cause analysis. The course also highlights the importance of psychological safety and provides insight into how healthcare systems support healthcare professionals involved in errors and adverse events, often referred to as “second victims.” Finally, the course emphasizes the importance of patient safety research and demonstrates how it contributes to the development of evidence-based care, treatment, and rehabilitation.

She also teaches doctors the topics such as  registry research, clinical quality, and patient safety.

She is a consultant at Cochrane Aarhus, which is affiliated with the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University.

Selected publications

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Selected projects

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