Know your colleague
Know your colleague: Tonny Elmose Andersen
Meet Tonny Elmose Andersen, Professor of Pain Psychology, Authorised Psychologist, Department of Psychology
Can you explain what you work with?
In my research, I work with what can be broadly characterised as post-traumatic pain, that is, pain that occurs after trauma and accidents.
I have a particular interest in understanding how psychological trauma reactions such as post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) affect our experience of pain and how PTSD negatively affects recovery from whiplash associated disorders.
I am very interested in how we can prevent and treat chronic pain after whiplash injuries. In particular, how we can train other professionals such as physiotherapists and chiropractors to deliver psychologically informed treatment.
How long have you been employed at SDU? Have you been here ‘several times’?
I've been at SDU for 15 years, and together with a handful of colleagues I helped start the psychology programme back in 2009.
What is the best thing about your job?
I think the best thing is that as a researcher I get to be curious and creative in the detective work of finding solutions to a complex problem like chronic pain.
Tell us about an assignment you've completed that you're extra proud of.
I am extremely proud to have been involved in developing and building the psychology programme here at SDU. We started with a small handful of enthusiasts and today we are more than 50 full-time employees and admit around 150 new students every year. It's a privilege to help shape the psychologists of the future.
What is your educational background - how did you end up in this job?
I have a master's degree in psychology, am an authorised psychologist and have worked for many years in health and medical psychology. In this context, I helped build a multidisciplinary pain centre and developed the psychological treatment programmes that were delivered.
I've always had a bit of a pioneering spirit and like to build and develop new things, which is why SDU was attractive when we were responsible for and are now again responsible for creating a new psychology programme, this time in Esbjerg.
What other career paths have you considered?
I've always known that I wanted to be a researcher. But if I had to make a different choice, I think it would have been to study veterinary medicine.
What do you do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I love playing big nerdy board games and take every opportunity to sneak this hobby on the table. I also love reading fiction.
Tonny's Top Three: Board games you must try
If you're new to board games and want to try something different, Tonny recommends:
- Cascadia
- Wingspan
- Azul
And if you're a bit nerdy, check out boardgamegeek.com. Here you'll find the top 100 and reviews.
Have you seen/read/listened to anything good recently that you would recommend?
If you're not familiar with Lars Saabye Christensen's writing, it's worth a recommendation, for example the book ‘Hundehoved’. We are also currently giving our two teenage daughters, aged 13 and 17, a good education in the film and TV genre, which is why we are currently binge watching David Lynch's ‘Twin Peaks’.
What is your favourite place to go?
I'm privileged to work with great researchers in Australia, which is why I occasionally travel to Brisbane, which is high on my list of favourite destinations.
Do you have a special talent that others might not know about?
No, I don't think so, but if it's a talent for being curious and easily excited, then it might make the list. I think it's an important trait to possess as a researcher.
Who would you like to get to know?
We are spotlighting various employees at the Faculty of Health Sciences (SUND) with a series of standard questions. The aim is to get to know each other better across titles, departments, and tasks.
If you have a suggestion for a colleague at SUND whom everyone should get to know better, or if there is someone you would like to learn more about, please write to us at SUND Communications.
Contact us at: sund-input@health.sdu.dk