Christine Stabell Benn, MD, PhD, Professor in Global Health

Responsibilities

Christine Stabell Benn is responsible for planning, executing and publishing epidemiological and immunological studies of health interventions in Guinea-Bissau and Denmark. She supervises a number of pre- and postgraduate/PhD students.

Research area

Christine Stabell Benn has formulated the hypothesis that vitamin A supplementation and routine child vaccinations interact with consequences for mortality. Both types of interventions seem to have non-specific effects on the immune system, affecting its ability to handle infectious diseases. The effects are different in boys and girls.

Prices and awards

2014: Nominated “Best Danish research result of the year”

2011: Selected by the Danish National Research Foundation for a “Center of Excellence”

2010: Received an ERC Starting Grant.

2009+2011: 2^nd prize: “Best Danish research result of the year”

2009: Received a Female Research Leader Grant (Danish Council for Independent Research)

2005:  Awarded Young Research Leader Grant (Strategic Research Council) as one among the 19 most talented young Danish Researchers

2004: Nominated for EURYI award as one among the 9 most talented Danish Researchers

Selected publications

Benn CS, Fisker AB, Napirna BM, Roth A, Diness BR, Lausch KR, Ravn H, Yazdanbakhsh M, Rodrigues A, Whittle H, Aaby P. Vitamin A supplementation and BCG vaccination at birth in low birthweight neonates: two by two factorial randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2010; 340:c1101. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c1101.

Aaby P, Roth A, Ravn H, Napirna BM, Rodrigues A, Lisse IM, Stensballe L, Diness BR, Lausch KR, Lund N, Biering-Sørensen S, Whittle H, Benn CS. Randomized trial of BCG vaccination at birth to low-birth-weight children: Beneficial non-specific effects in the neonatal period? J Inf Dis 2011;204(2):245-52.

Aaby P and Benn CS. Saving lives by training innate immunity with BCG vaccine. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012 Oct 23;109(43):17317-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1215761109

Benn CS, Netea MG, Selin LK, Aaby P. A small jab – a big effect: nonspecific immunomodulation by vaccines. Trends Immunol 2013 May 13. doi:pii: S1471-4906(13)00058-6.10.1016/j.it.2013.04.004. [Epub ahead of print]