Borgunn Ytterhus
Background and activities
Current position: Professor in Health Science
Educational background: I am a sociologist, holding a Master (hovedfag) in Sociology (1995) and a PhD (Doctor rerum politicarum) in Sociology (2000). I am also trained as a reg. nurse (1983) and postgraduate in care of the elderly (1990). My clinical practice is from orthopaedic ward, children's ward, and elderly care in nursing homes.
I achieved professor competencies in Early Childhood Special Education in 2008, and professor competencies in Health Science in 2009.
Research competencies: Since I started my academic career, I have been doing research on social inclusion/exclusion and social participation in horizontal relations in childhood and adolescents; health, welfare, and educational services. I have focused on groups of people who in public policy often are referred to as marginal or fragile and who have not achieved/struggle to achieve full human rights. Disabled children/young people are one such group and disability studies are one of my main research interests. I was the president of the Nordic Network on Disability Studies (NNDR) (2007 - 2011) and are still member of the network. My research has also given attention to children as relatives, both minor children and adult children. I have been, and still is, member of the National Research Network on Children as Relatives, established in 2010 by the Norwegian Health Directorate, and run by BarnsBeste (Children's Best) at Sør-landet Hospital, Kristiansand. During the last years my research has also included health services for refugees as well as qualitative methodological issues. Through all my research activities I am experienced in multidisciplinary research-collaboration.
At date I am heading the research project Silent Space Speech: A study of health promotion and service providing for young single resident refugees (2019 – 2023). Financed by Trondheim University Municipality and NTNU. In the researchgroup on this project there are one more professor, one associate professor, one PhD-student and two Master-students in Public health and one Master-student in Globale health.
Member of the Editorial Board of the Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research (SJDR) https://www.sjdr.se/about/editorialteam/
Doing reviews for the following research journals: Disability & Rehabilitation, Alter, SJDR, Nordic Early Childhood Education Research Journal, Spesialpedagogikk, Fontene forskning
I am running the multidisciplinary research-group: Children and young people's health & welfare, including the Think-tank: Gaze on Children (Blikk på barn)
Teaching competencies: I have been teaching and supervising in health sciences, educational sciences, sociology and medicine at Universities and University Colleges since late 1980-ties, and since 2002 mostly at Master and Phd level. Most of the teaching and supervision have been at NTNU, but also at other universities in Norway and abroad. The topics circles around my research competencies and qualitative research methodologies. I have supervised close to forty master-students and eight PhD students and do still supervise at these levels.
I give lectures at different educational programs, and today I am professionally responsible for the following courses at Master level at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Science:
FH 3011: Children and Youth: A Fundament for Public Health, Course - Children and Youth: A Fundament for Public Health - FH3011 - NTNU
MH 3004: Qualitative Research Methods in Medicine & Health Science, Course - Qualitative Research Methods in Medicine and Health Sciences - MH3004 - NTNU
Participate in the educational project: Global health and disability - a lifespan perspective (2016 – (2021)2023). Headed by Professor Marianne Hedlund, NTNU. The project is a collaboration between NTNU (Disability Studies and Global Health/Public Health), Norway, and SPPU, (Public Health) Pune - India. Financed by: The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this project is turned into an e-learning project, and postponed for two more years.
Courses
- FH3011 - Children and Youth: A Fundament for Public Health
- MH3004 - Qualitative Research Methods in Medicine and Health Sciences
Scientific, academic and artistic work
A selection of recent journal publications, artistic productions, books, including book and report excerpts. See all publications in the database
Journal publications
- (2022) From public health to public good: Toward universal wellbeing. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.
- (2021) 'In the Next Moment I Answer, it is Not Possible.' Professionals’ Experiences from Transition Planning for Young People. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. vol. 23 (1).
- (2021) Whose voices matter? Use, misuse and non-use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) among severely disabled children living in small group homes. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. vol. 23 (1).
- (2021) Feeling Valued and Adding Value: A Participatory Action Research Project on Co-creating Practices of Social Inclusion in Kindergartens and Communities. Frontiers in Public Health. vol. 9.
- (2021) Inaccessible Possibilities: Experiences of using ICT to engage with services among young persons with disabilities. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology.
- (2021) Pregnant women’s experiences with a pelvic floor muscle training program in Nepal. Global health action. vol. 14 (1).
- (2021) Nurses’ realisation of an inadequate toolbox for approaching adolescents with a parent suffering from cancer : a constructivist grounded theory study. Nordic journal of nursing research.
- (2021) Kindergartens: inclusive spaces for all children?. International Journal of Inclusive Education.
- (2020) Adult children’s experiences of family occupations following ageing parents’ functional decline. Journal of Occupational Science (JOS).
- (2020) «If you give them your little finger, they’ll tear off your entire arm»: losing trust in biobank research. Medicine, Health care and Philosophy. vol. 23.
- (2019) The art of maintaining everyday life: collaboration among older parents, their adult children, and health care professionals in reablement. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. vol. 12.
- (2019) Barn med og uten funksjonsnedsettelser og deltagelse i forskergrupper – når og hvordan kan ulike kvalitative forskningsmetoder få alle barn til å delta i forskning?. Nordisk Barnehageforskning. vol. 18 (1).
- (2018) Inclusion in Physical Education: Teacher Attitudes and Student Experiences. A Systematic Review. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. vol. 66 (1).
- (2018) Interactional facilitators and barriers in social relationships between students who use AAC and fellow students. Society, health and vulnerability. vol. 9 (1).
- (2018) Gateways to friendships among students who use AAC in mainstream primary school. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. vol. 20 (1).
- (2017) Golden Paper, a Chain and a Bag: A Phenomenology of Queer Things in a Special Needs Education Unit. Phenomenology & Practice. vol. 11 (2).
- (2017) “He is not crying for real”: severe, multiple disabilities and embodied constraint in two special-needs education units. Society, health and vulnerability. vol. 8 (1).
- (2017) A "visitor in the class": Marginalization of students using AAC in mainstream education classes. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. vol. 29 (3).
- (2017) ‘So, how does one define a friendship?’: Identifying friendship among students using AAC in inclusive education settings. European Journal of Special Needs Education. vol. 33 (3).
- (2016) When everyday life becomes a storm on the horizon: families’ experiences of good mental health while hiking in nature. Anthropology & Medicine. vol. 23 (1).