I am interested in understanding, explaining, and promoting health, equity, and well-being. Within the research group, we focus on three research areas: (1) prevention and health promotion, with a particular focus on physical activity promotion, (2) community health, and (3) healthy settings.
I am also dedicated to supporting students in developing their skills in critical thinking and asking why about health, disease, and illness. I do this by teaching courses on health promotion and Qualitative health research in different programs: the Public Health Sciences Course program for PhD students at UniBe, the inter-university MPH program, and the medical degree program.
My background is in social science: I studied political science and North American studies at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg/Germany and at McGill University Montréal in Canada. With work on the capability approach as a paradigm for physical activity-related health promotion, I received my habilitation at the University of Tübingen in 2021. Prior to my current position, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Univ. of Tübingen (2018-2021) and the FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg (2013-2018).
Out of the office, I try to spend the maximum time outside — Aare swimming and strolling; backcountry canoeing, tenting, and hiking with my family; as well as running for charity and talking time with the best squad.