Researcher

Associate Professor Helga Zoega

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Epidemiology, Mental Health

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Biography

Helga Zoega is a pharmacoepidemiologist with expertise in medicine use, safety and effectiveness within mental health. She is a Scientia A/Professor at the School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, and a Professor of Public Health at the University of Iceland. 

Zoega’s research uses 'big health data' to generate real-world safety evidence on prescription medicines across the lifespan, focused on treatment outcomes for mental health disorders...view more

Helga Zoega is a pharmacoepidemiologist with expertise in medicine use, safety and effectiveness within mental health. She is a Scientia A/Professor at the School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, and a Professor of Public Health at the University of Iceland. 

Zoega’s research uses 'big health data' to generate real-world safety evidence on prescription medicines across the lifespan, focused on treatment outcomes for mental health disorders in vulnerable populations, e.g. pregnant women and children. She leads several international studies and research consortia combining high-quality data across Australia, the Nordic countries, North America and Asia. Zoega has led commissioned work for the Australian Department of Health, resulting in federal policy changes in 2019 and 2020. Her research findings inform current clinical guidelines and medicines regulation.

Dr Zoega holds an MA in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University (2006) and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Iceland (2011). She was a postdoctoral fellow in Epidemiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (2011-2013) and has been a faculty member of Medicine at the University of Iceland since 2012 (Professor in 2016). She was awarded a UNSW Scientia Fellowship in Medicine (2018-2026) and leads a research program in Life-Course Pharmacoepidemiology in collaboration with the Medicines Intelligence (MedIntel) research program at the School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney.


My Qualifications

EDUCATION 

 

Postdoctoral Fellow (Epidemiology), 2011-2013, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York

PhD (Public Health), 2011, University of Iceland

MA (Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences), 2006, Columbia University, New York

BA (Political Science), 2001, University of Iceland

 

 


My Research Supervision


Supervision keywords


Areas of supervision

real-world data, pharmacoepidemiology, mental health, psychotropic medicines, medicine use, safety and effectiveness, ADHD, pregnancy, children, perinatal epidemiology


Currently supervising

Current postdocs:

Claudia Bruno, UNSW (2023- )

 

Current doctoral students:

Kate Maston (joint primary supervision, UNSW, 2023- )

Ramya Padmavathy Radha Krishnan (co-supervision, University of Sydney, 2023- )

Bianca Varney, Scientia Scholar (joint primary supervision UNSW, 2020- )

Unnur Jakobsdottir Smári (primary supervision, University of Iceland, 2022- )

Edythe Laquindanum Mangindin (joint primary supervision, University of Iceland, 2021- )

 

Current masters/honours students:

Andrea Sit (joint primary supervision, MPH UNSW, 2023- )

Sonja Steinsson (primary supervision MPH University of Iceland, 2023- )

María Dalberg (primary supervision, MPH University of Iceland, 2023- )

 

Previous postdocs:

Óskar Örn Hálfdánarson (2019- 2021)

Sujita Narayan (2018-19)

Previous doctoral students:

Claudia Bruno, UNSW (2023)

Smriti Raichand, UNSW (2023)

Óskar Örn Hálfdánarson, University of Iceland (2019)

Emma Marie Swift, University of Iceland (2019)

Védís Helga Eiríksdóttir, University of Iceland (2016)

Previous masters/honours students: 

Masako Araki MPH (2023)

Marissa Tousey-Pfarrer MPH (2023)

Ása Dóra Gylfadóttir MSc (2023)

Claudia Bruno Hon. (2018)

Friðgeir Andri Sverrisson MPH (2016)

Kristjana Pálsdóttir MPH (2016)

Dagný Baldvinsdóttir MPH (2016)

Bryndís Kristjánsdóttir MPH (2015)

Vigdís Jóhannsdóttir MPH (2015)

Hrafnhildur Halldórsdóttir MPH (2015)

Aðalbjörg Guðsteinsdóttir MPH (2014)

Þuríður Anna Guðnadóttir MPH (2014)

Drífa Pálín Geirsdóttir MPH (2014)

Ingibjörg Kjartansdóttir MPH (2011)   

Ragnhildur Guðrún Finnbjörnsdóttir MSc (2010) 

Díana Óskarsdóttir MPH (2010)

Hanne Krage-Carlsen MPH (2010)

Hugrún Elfa Hjaltadóttir MPM (2009)   

Anna Lára Steingrímsdóttir MSc (2008)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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