Kristine Bjørndal appointed professor

In the professorship, Kristine Bjørndal will continue her work in the diagnostic, treatment and follow-up of head and neck cancer patients with a focus on individualized patient pathways.

A particular area of interest is patients with salivary gland cancer, where Kristine Bjørndal has helped to build up the national salivary gland cancer database under the auspices of DAHANCA (Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group). The database has formed the basis for significant research both in own group and in collaboration with other groups in Denmark and abroad. Work in this field will continue in the coming years – especially in the area of treatment and late effects.

In addition, Kristine Bjørndal is engaged in robotic surgery and participates in a national collaboration on robot-assisted surgical treatment of head and neck cancer patients, including HPV-associated pharyngeal cancer.

Kristine Bjørndal defended her PhD thesis in salivary gland cancer in 2012 and became a specialist in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology the year before. She has been a consultant, neck surgeon and head of the cancer fast-track program at the Department of ORL - Head and Neck Surgery & Audiology, Odense University Hospital, since 2014, senior consultant since 2023, and also been a clinical associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark for more than 10 years.

Kristine Bjørndal is chairman of DAHANCA (Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group) and is therefore involved in DMCG and RCMP work, including the preparation of national guidelines and reference programs for the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer. She is also on the board of the Scandinavian Society for Head and Neck Oncology and by virtue of the above has a large national and international network.

Kristine Bjørndal is looking forward to the continued collaboration in the department's management team and to her new role as head of research for the department's research unit, which conducts research in phoniatrics, laryngology, ear surgery, nose and sinus surgery, neck surgery and cancer, technical audiology, medical audiology, and nursing. A research unit where high-quality research is carried out for the benefit of patients, with the utilization of networks at both Odense University Hospital and the University of Southern Denmark, nationally and internationally.

Kristine Bjørndal lives in Odense with her family.