Navigation

  • Skip to Content
NTNU Home NTNU Home

ntnu.edu

  • Studies
    • Master's programmes in English
    • For exchange students
    • PhD opportunities
    • All programmes of study
    • Courses
    • Financing
    • Language requirements
    • Application process
    • Academic calendar
    • FAQ
  • Research and innovation
    • NTNU research
    • Research excellence
    • Strategic research areas
    • Innovation resources
    • PhD opportunities
  • Life and housing
    • Student in Trondheim
    • Student in Gjøvik
    • Student in Ålesund
    • For researchers
    • Life and housing
  • About NTNU
    • Contact us
    • Faculties and departments
    • Libraries
    • International researcher support
    • Vacancies
    • About NTNU
    • Maps
  1. Employees

Språkvelger

Norsk

Roosa Sofia Tikkanen

Download press photo
Download press photo
Foto:

Roosa Sofia Tikkanen

PhD student
Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences

roosa.s.tikkanen@ntnu.no
+4773412399 Bygg 10, Dragvoll
ResearchGate Google Scholar ORCID Center for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN)
About Research Publications Teaching Outreach

About

CV

I'm a PhD candidate (2021-25) at the Center for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN), where I study working conditions of community health workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). As front-line primary health care workers, they play a key role in addressing socioeconomic inequalities in health, particularly for maternal and child health outcomes. My research focuses on working conditions of CHWs, examined through feminist political economy theory, as these workers are often female, have a relatively low socioeconomic status, and unpaid workers lacking traditional labor protections. I study movements by CHWs to advocate for stronger labor rights through strikes, protests and unionization. I'm a member of the Norwegian Research School for Global Health (NRSGH), Women in Global Health Norway and Health Systems Global. 

Before joining CHAIN, I worked at the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based philanthrophy where I conducted comparative health policy research including on primary care performance, income-based inequalities, health systems and universal coverage, social spending, and maternal care. Prior to this, I was a Policy Analyst at the Center for Health Law and Policy, University of Massachusetts Medical School in Boston, where I consulted on state-based projects on health services financing and delivery, including community health worker programs in the U.S. My research has also documented racial inequalities in access to and public funding of hospitals in New York. I hold a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and a Masters in Research (MRes) in Integrative Biology and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Neuroscience from the University of Manchester, England. See full CV for further details on my professional background.

Competencies

  • Global Health
  • Health inequalities
  • Health policy
  • Health workforce
  • Primary health care
  • Public Health
  • Social determinants of health

Research

  • NTNU ISS Public Policy and Administration (OPA)
  • CHAIN - Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research
  • NTNU ISS Gender and Inequality

Publications

Breaking the silence on gendered harassment and assault of community health workers: an analysis of ethnographic studies

This paper explores violence and harassment faced by community health workers, an exceptionally vulnerable cadre that often lacks institutional, physical, financial and social protection. The paper includes suggestions from CHWs on addressing the problem

An anthropological history of Nepal's Female Community Health Volunteer program: gender, policy, and social change

Our analysis highlights how issues of gender, workload, and pay have persisted in Nepal's Female Community Health Volunteer Program during the 35-year history of the program.

Recognizing the Labour Behind Care—The Fight for Dignity and Rights Among South Asia’s Community Healthcare Workers

In this Labor Day blog post published in PLoS Global Health's Speaking of Medicine and Health blog, Vaishnavi Mangal, Deepika Saluja and I summarize labor movements of South Asia's all-female community health worker cadres in India, Nepal and Pakistan
  • Chronological
  • By category
  • See all publications in Cristin

2025

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2025) Professionalisation of Community Health Workers: Formalisation as a Second Pillar of Job Security. International Journal of Health Planning and Management
    Letter to the editor
  • Sultan, Marium; Miller, Emily; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Singh, Shalini; Kullu, Arpana; Cometto, Giorgio. (2025) Competency-based Education and Training for Community Health Workers: A Scoping Review. BMC Health Services Research
    Academic article
  • Mangal, Vaishnavi; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Saluja, Deepika. (2025) Recognizing the Labour Behind Care—The Fight for Dignity and Rights Among South Asia’s Community Healthcare Workers. PLOS Global Public Health
    Popular scientific article

2024

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Closser, Svea; Prince, Justine; Chand, Priyankar; Justice, Judith. (2024) An anthropological history of Nepal's Female Community Health Volunteer program: gender, policy, and social change. International Journal for Equity in Health
    Academic article

2023

  • Closser, Svea; Sultan, Marium; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Singh, Shalini; Majidulla, Arman; Maes, Kenneth. (2023) Breaking the silence on gendered harassment and assault of community health workers: An analysis of ethnographic studies. BMJ Global Health
    Academic article

2022

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2022) [Protocol] Scoping Review Protocol on community health worker views of their remuneration arrangements and collective labor movements in low- and middle-income countries.
    Other product
  • FitzGerald, Molly; Gunja, Munira; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2022) Primary Care in High-Income Countries: How the United States Compares. The Commonwealth Fund Washington, DC
    Academic article

2021

  • Zephyrin, Laurie; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2021) The U.S. Has an Abysmal Track Record for Maternal Health. Ms.
    Feature article
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Osborn, Robin. (2021) International Lessons for the United States on Population Health, Health Care, and Health Policy. The University Press of Kentucky
    Chapter
  • Doty, Michelle M; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; FitzGerald, Molly; Fields, Katharine; Williams, Reginald D. (2021) Income-Related Inequality In Affordability And Access To Primary Care In Eleven High-Income Countries. Health Affairs
    Academic article

2020

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Robin, Osborn; Elias, Mossialos; Ana, Djordjevic; George, Wharton. (2020) 2020 International Profiles of Health Care Systems. The Commonwealth Fund
    Report
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Wharton, George; Djordjevic, Ana; Mossialos, Elias; Williams, Reginald II. (2020) A new resource to understand how countries have responded to COVID-19. London School of Economics and Political Science Blog
    Feature article
  • Zephyrin, Laurie; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2020) The shameful abundance of birth- and pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. STAT
    Feature article
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) Social Spending to Improve Population Health — Does the United States Spend as Wisely as Other Countries?. New England Journal of Medicine
    Academic article
  • Doty, Michelle M; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Shah, Arnav; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) Primary Care Physicians’ Role In Coordinating Medical And Health-Related Social Needs In Eleven Countries. Health Affairs
    Academic article
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Shah, Arnav; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) The Role of Primary Care Practices in Screening for Patient Social Needs in the United States and Other High-Income Countries. Health Services Research (HSR)
    Abstract

2017

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Steffie, Woolhandler; David, Himmelstein. (2017) FUNDING CHARITY CARE IN NEW YORK: An Examination of Indigent Care Pool Allocations. New York State Health Foundation
    Report
  • Katharine, London; Kelly, Love; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2017) Sustainable Financing Models for Community Health Worker Services in Connecticut: Translating Science into Practice. Connecticut Health Foundation
    Report
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Woolhandler, Steffie; Himmelstein, David U; Kressin, Nancy R; Hanchate, Amresh; Lin, Meng-Yun. (2017) Hospital Payer and Racial/Ethnic Mix at Private Academic Medical Centers in Boston and New York City. International Journal of Health Services
    Academic article

2016

  • Katharine, London; Kelly, Love; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2016) Sustainable Financing Models for Community Health Worker Services in Maine. Commonwealth Medicine Publications
    Report

Journal publications

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2025) Professionalisation of Community Health Workers: Formalisation as a Second Pillar of Job Security. International Journal of Health Planning and Management
    Letter to the editor
  • Sultan, Marium; Miller, Emily; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Singh, Shalini; Kullu, Arpana; Cometto, Giorgio. (2025) Competency-based Education and Training for Community Health Workers: A Scoping Review. BMC Health Services Research
    Academic article
  • Mangal, Vaishnavi; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Saluja, Deepika. (2025) Recognizing the Labour Behind Care—The Fight for Dignity and Rights Among South Asia’s Community Healthcare Workers. PLOS Global Public Health
    Popular scientific article
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Closser, Svea; Prince, Justine; Chand, Priyankar; Justice, Judith. (2024) An anthropological history of Nepal's Female Community Health Volunteer program: gender, policy, and social change. International Journal for Equity in Health
    Academic article
  • Closser, Svea; Sultan, Marium; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Singh, Shalini; Majidulla, Arman; Maes, Kenneth. (2023) Breaking the silence on gendered harassment and assault of community health workers: An analysis of ethnographic studies. BMJ Global Health
    Academic article
  • FitzGerald, Molly; Gunja, Munira; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2022) Primary Care in High-Income Countries: How the United States Compares. The Commonwealth Fund Washington, DC
    Academic article
  • Zephyrin, Laurie; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2021) The U.S. Has an Abysmal Track Record for Maternal Health. Ms.
    Feature article
  • Doty, Michelle M; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; FitzGerald, Molly; Fields, Katharine; Williams, Reginald D. (2021) Income-Related Inequality In Affordability And Access To Primary Care In Eleven High-Income Countries. Health Affairs
    Academic article
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Wharton, George; Djordjevic, Ana; Mossialos, Elias; Williams, Reginald II. (2020) A new resource to understand how countries have responded to COVID-19. London School of Economics and Political Science Blog
    Feature article
  • Zephyrin, Laurie; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2020) The shameful abundance of birth- and pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. STAT
    Feature article
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) Social Spending to Improve Population Health — Does the United States Spend as Wisely as Other Countries?. New England Journal of Medicine
    Academic article
  • Doty, Michelle M; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Shah, Arnav; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) Primary Care Physicians’ Role In Coordinating Medical And Health-Related Social Needs In Eleven Countries. Health Affairs
    Academic article
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Shah, Arnav; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) The Role of Primary Care Practices in Screening for Patient Social Needs in the United States and Other High-Income Countries. Health Services Research (HSR)
    Abstract
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Woolhandler, Steffie; Himmelstein, David U; Kressin, Nancy R; Hanchate, Amresh; Lin, Meng-Yun. (2017) Hospital Payer and Racial/Ethnic Mix at Private Academic Medical Centers in Boston and New York City. International Journal of Health Services
    Academic article

Part of book/report

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Osborn, Robin. (2021) International Lessons for the United States on Population Health, Health Care, and Health Policy. The University Press of Kentucky
    Chapter

Report

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Robin, Osborn; Elias, Mossialos; Ana, Djordjevic; George, Wharton. (2020) 2020 International Profiles of Health Care Systems. The Commonwealth Fund
    Report
  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Steffie, Woolhandler; David, Himmelstein. (2017) FUNDING CHARITY CARE IN NEW YORK: An Examination of Indigent Care Pool Allocations. New York State Health Foundation
    Report
  • Katharine, London; Kelly, Love; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2017) Sustainable Financing Models for Community Health Worker Services in Connecticut: Translating Science into Practice. Connecticut Health Foundation
    Report
  • Katharine, London; Kelly, Love; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2016) Sustainable Financing Models for Community Health Worker Services in Maine. Commonwealth Medicine Publications
    Report

Product

  • Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2022) [Protocol] Scoping Review Protocol on community health worker views of their remuneration arrangements and collective labor movements in low- and middle-income countries.
    Other product

Teaching

Guest Lecturer
2022 
NTNU POL3523 - Velferdsstat og helsepolitikk / Welfare State and Health Policy: Challenges, Reforms and New Priorities (Pål Martinussen), Master level
NTNU SOS2501 - Norwegian Society (Stefan Geiss), Bachelor level

Paris School of International Affairs / SciencesPo - Health Systems Strengthening and Global Health (Guillaume Dedet), Master level, online/virtual

2021 
Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA - Health Systems, Policy, and Management (Professor J Leeman), online/virtual

2020
State University of New York (SUNY) Old Westbury, NY - Health and Human Rights (Ana Djordjevic)

2018
City University of New York Hunter College School of Urban Public Health, New York, NY - Urban Studies, Healthcare Systems and Health Policy (Professors S Woolhandler, D Himmelstein)

New York University (NYU) Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York, NY - Comparative Analysis of Health Systems (Professor VG Rodwin)

American Medical Student Association - Healthcare For All Scholars Program, online/virtual

2017
Weill Cornell Medical School, Cornell University, New York, NY - David Rogers Health Policy Colloquium

 

Supervision

Supervision

2022

NTNU SOS3003 vår 2023, Anvendt statistisk dataanalyse i Samfunnsvitenskap / Applied Social Statistics (Zan Strabac), Master-level, ESS survey data regression analyses

Outreach

2025

  • Academic lecture
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2025) Resistance to precarity: Examining labor union strategies and successes in advancing labor rights for Nepal’s community health workers . University of Oslo European Conference on Social Medicine , Oslo, Norway 2025-06-20 - 2025-06-22
  • Poster
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Kumar, Bernadette Nirmal; Eikemo, Terje Andreas. (2025) Community Health Work as Precarious Employment: Strengthening the theoretical case through empirical evidence. Karolinska Institutet Creating Sustainable Work 2025 , Stockholm, Sweden 2025-05-07 - 2025-05-09

2024

  • Programme participation
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2024) Women Community Health Workers: From Volunteers to Careers. Women in Global Health (Zoom/YouTube) Women in Global Health (Zoom/YouTube) [Internet] 2024-03-19
  • Academic lecture
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Pokhrel, Sushmita; Ghimire, Usha; Neupane, Biraj. (2024) Current Opportunities and Challenges in Community Health Worker Governance in Federal Nepal. Martin Chautari Chautari Annual Conference 2024 , Kathmandu 2024-11-27 - 2024-11-29
  • Interview
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Ungar, Laura. (2024) Europe offers clues for solving America’s maternal mortality crisis. Associated Press Associated Press [Internet] 2024-08-22
  • Interview
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Ungar, Laura. (2024) Takeaways from AP’s report on what the US can learn from other nations about maternal deaths. Associated Press Associated Press [Internet] 2024-08-22
  • Poster
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Pokhrel, Sushmita; Ghimire, Usha; Neupane, Biraj; Kumar, Bernadette Nirmal. (2024) Opportunities and Challenges in Community Health Workforce Governance in Federal Nepal. Health Systems Global (HSG) HSR2024 The 8th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research , Nagasaki, Japan 2024-11-18 - 2024-11-22

2023

  • Interview
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Pratap, Anita. (2023) What makes Finland the happiest place on earth. The Week [India] The Week [India] [Journal] 2023-04-23
  • Interview
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Pratap, Anita. (2023) Decoding the Nordics' infrastructure of happiness. The Week [India] The Week [India] [Journal] 2023-04-23
  • Lecture
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2023) Reforming Community-Based Health Care Workforce Policy in Nepal: Current Challenges and Opportunities in the Context of Federalization. Bergen Pandemic Centre, Kathmandu University Norway Nepal Global Health Conference 2023 , Dhulikhel 2023-03-29 - 2023-03-29
  • Popular scientific lecture
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2023) Valuing Female Volunteer Community Health Workers in Nepal and India: Examining payment policies and labor movements through a gender lens. Women in Global Health (WGH) Norway, University of Oslo Ensuring Equity and Equality for Women Globally - Solidarity on International Women's Day , Oslo 2023-03-08 - 2023-03-08

2020

  • Academic lecture
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Shah, Arnav; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) The Role of Primary Care Practices in Screening for Patient Social Needs in the United States and Other High-Income Countries. AcademyHealth AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) , Virtual 2020-07-28 - 2020-08-06
  • Poster
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Shah, Arnav; Schneider, Eric C. (2020) The Quadruple Aim in an International Context: US Primary Care Physicians Are More Dissatisfied, Stressed and Burdened with Administrative Tasks Than Those in Other High-Income Countries. AcademyHealth AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) , Virtual 2020-07-28 - 2020-08-06

2019

  • Academic lecture
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Hayes, Susan; FitzGerald, Molly. (2019) Dying Mothers: How Do Individual U.S. States Rank Globally and What Can be Done to Reduce Maternal Mortality?. AcademyHealth AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) 2019 , Washington, DC 2019-06-02 - 2019-06-04
  • Poster
    Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia; Lewis, Corinne; Shah, Arnav; Schneider, Eric C. (2019) US Social Spending and Health Outcomes in an International Context: Getting the Balance Right. AcademyHealth AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) 2019 , Washington, DC 2019-06-02 - 2019-06-04

2017

  • Academic lecture
    London, Katharine; Tikkanen, Roosa Sofia. (2017) Developing cost-effective, evidence-based, sustainable financing models for Community Health Worker services: A step-by-step guide. American Public Health Association (APHA) American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo , Atlanta, GA, USA 2017-11-04 - 2017-11-08

NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology

  • For employees
  • |
  • For students
  • |
  • Intranet
  • |
  • Blackboard

Studies

  • Master's programmes in English
  • For exchange students
  • PhD opportunities
  • Courses
  • Career development
  • Continuing education
  • Application process

News

  • NTNU News
  • Vacancies

About NTNU

  • About the university
  • Libraries
  • NTNU's strategy
  • Research excellence
  • Strategic research areas
  • Organizational chart

Contact

  • Contact NTNU
  • Employees
  • Find experts
  • Press contacts
  • Researcher support
  • Maps

NTNU in three cities

  • NTNU in Gjøvik
  • NTNU in Trondheim
  • NTNU in Ålesund

About this website

  • Use of cookies
  • Accessibility statement
  • Privacy policy
  • Editorial responsibility
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Snapchat Tiktok Youtube
Sign In
NTNU logo