A health sciences student from Aarhus University has just received HM Queen Margrethe II's Travel Grant. The grant will help to finance a university stay in the USA.

2014.09.30 | Helle Horskjær Hansen

For several months, Mette Lise Lousdal thought that the Queen would be presenting the award, as she did two years previously when Mette Lise Lousdal’s former study mate received the award. However, her study mate could then tell her that this was not customary but because of an anniversary, causing great disappointment for Mette Lise Lousdal when she found out that she would not in fact meet the Queen.

In two years’ time she will be reading English textbooks instead of Danish. Master’s degree student Mette Lise Lousdal from Aarhus University was presented with HM Queen Margrethe II’s Travel Grant during the university's annual celebration. A travel grant that will help her to realise her American dream.

"The grant is a big helping hand towards realising my dream of studying at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta," says Mette Lise Lousdal, whose field of research is breast cancer screening. In particular, investigating whether the screening programme results in earlier discovery of the cancer and, subsequently, how the mortality rate changes in relation to different stages of development of breast cancer.

She expects to spend a year in USA. The stay will form part of her PhD programme and it gives Mette Lise Lousdal the chance to work closely together with her supervisor Professor Timothy Lash, who is employed in the Department of Epidemiology at Emory University.

A close-up of international research

"The stay means that I can really get a close-up of a recognised, international research environment, which sets the research environment I know from Denmark in a completely new perspective. I also look forward to closely following my supervisor and to being inspired by his way of working," she says.

Mette Lise Lousdal is convinced that her stay at the American university will be an experience of a lifetime.

"It will be huge. At the same time, it is a great recognition of the work I have done to prepare my PhD. It really makes me happy. To be seen and recognised for the work I have put into my studying and PhD preparation gives me so much motivation and purpose," she says.

This is not the first time that Mette Lise Lousdal has been honoured. In spring 2014 she received a scholarship of DKK 204,000 from The Danish Cancer Research Foundation.

Further information

BSc in Public Health, Integrated PhD student Mette Lise Lousdal
Aarhus University, Department of Public Health
mette.lise.lousdal@publ.au.dk