Anna Paldam Folker

Research Interests

Anna Paldam Folker is Professor of Public Health Philosophy at the Danish National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark. She leads the Human Health research group at the institute and also heads SDU’s cross-faculty initiative Human Health, which explores the human experience in health systems through collaboration across the humanities, social sciences, and health sciences.

Her research is rooted in practice-guided public health philosophy, focusing on how health is shaped by human experience, ethics, and culture. She combines philosophical analysis with empirical public health research to investigate mental health concepts, measurement tools, and intervention methods. Her work often integrates qualitative and ethnographic approaches with interdisciplinary collaborations across epidemiology, implementation science, and data-informed health research.

She explores how art and culture can serve as health-promoting resources, and how stigma and shame function as barriers to seeking care. She also works with the development of digital mental health interventions that support well-being among young people and parents.

Currently, she leads the Mindhelper Study, evaluating the function and effectiveness of Mindhelper.dk - Denmark’s largest digital platform for youth mental health promotion. Her work contributes to both academic advancement and real-world solutions, with the aim of improving mental health equity and transforming how care is accessed and experienced.