Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HiOA) is Norway’s largest state university college, with a student body of 16 000 students and 1 850 employees. HiOA offers a unique range of professional programmes that qualify students for professions that will contribute to future welfare and welfare creation.

The Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy gives priority to research and development activities in social work, social policy, and cooperate with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV) about developing more evidence based policies to promote participation in the labour market. The Health and Social Policy Research Group is one of the department´s research groups and adopts a multi-disciplinary perspective on how health systems and social policy influence social inequalities in health, labour market participation and standard of living

TEAM MEMBERS

Rune Halvorsen. PhD. Associate professor of International Health and Social Policy.  He is an expert in disability and employment policy, and has pioneered research on political participation of socially excluded groups. He has extensive international experience. He has recently participated as Norwegian partner in the EU FP7 project COPE and the Marie Curie Action DREAM, and participated in the coordinated of the EU FP7 project DISCIT.

rune.halvorsen@hioa.no

Tone Alm Andreassen. PhD, Professor of interdisciplinary research and Head of the strategic research program “Health, Care and Welfare” at HIOA. She has pioneered research on user involvement in rehabilitation, health services and mental health care. She has more than ten years of previous research on labour market inclusion of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, the attitudes of employers and the work and organization of the labour and welfare services.

Einar Øverbye. PhD, Professor of Social Policy. More than ten-year experience from international and cross-national policy analysis in social policy, and a specialist in implementation studies.

Eivind Engebretsen. PhD, Professor of health science and head of a medical PhD program, experience from scientific boards and national representatives groups at EU level and more than 5 years of experience in health service and implementation research in international research teams. Has pioneered research on health-related knowledge and expertise and how such knowledge is generated, used, documented, evaluated and exchanged throughout society (social epistemology).

Randi Wærdahl. PhD, Head of studies on master and PhD-programs of Social work, child welfare and social policy. She has led many international research networks and projects as well as hosted international conferences.

Siri Yde Aksnes, MA in Anthropology, research assistant, has experience from vocational training for persons with reduced work capacity.