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New Professor in Implementation Science and Active Living

Thomas Skovgaard, MSc, PhD, has been appointed as a professor in implementation research with a special focus on children, youth, and physical activity.

He will continue his role as head of the Active Living research unit at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), as well as co-head of the Centre for Primary and Lower Secondary Education Research, a partnership between University College Absalon, University College South Denmark, UCL University College, University College of Northern Denmark, and SDU.

With a strong interest in promoting socially relevant research on active living – particularly among children and youth - and the implementation of new initiatives in this area, Thomas Skovgaard collaborates closely with partners at local, national, and international levels. The overarching aim is to deliver high-quality research that stimulates innovation in practice.

According to Thomas Skovgaard, implementation is best understood as processes that bring about changes in and of practice. In line with this, implementation research focuses on identifying, developing, testing, and disseminating solutions that can make a difference in specific contexts and holds a potential to be scaled up. The core objective is to contribute to more robust knowledge about how effective interventions and measures are developed, translated, and function in practice. This ambition is linked to a long-term effort to strengthen theory-driven insights into the various aspects of the broad field of implementation research, particularly those that have a significant impact on children and youth's opportunities for an active life.

Thomas Skovgaard has over 25 years of experience working in both the public and private sectors, as well as in the NGO industry. In academia, he previously served as the head of studies in Public Health Sciences and Sports Science and Health at SDU, as well as Head of Research and Implementation Centre for Human Movement & Learning - a collaboration between University College South Denmark, UCL University College, and SDU.
Meet the researcher

Thomas Skovgaard is MSc, PhD and professor in implementation research with a special focus on children, youth, and physical activity at at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, SDU.

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Editing was completed: 05.07.2023