Rate My Professor Helle Wijk

Helle Wijk is Professor of Nursing at the Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and University Hospital Chief Nurse at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. She also holds a visiting professorship at the Centre for Healthcare Architecture at Chalmers University of Technology. Wijk earned her registered nurse qualification in 1982 from University College of Västerås, followed by advanced training in general health and nursing in 1989, a Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Science in Health Pedagogy in 1996, and a Licentiate and Doctor of Medicine in Geriatrics in 1998 and 2001, respectively, from the University of Gothenburg. Her doctoral thesis, 'Colour perception in old age,' examined colour discrimination, naming, preferences, and shape recognition among older adults. Her career spans clinical and academic roles, beginning as a registered nurse in the Department of Geriatrics at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in 1982, advancing to Development Officer in Geriatrics in 1998, Senior Lecturer at the University of Gothenburg in 2004, Vice Head for Collaboration at the Institute of Health and Care Sciences in 2016, and Professor in 2018. She has supervised numerous doctoral students, both as principal and co-supervisor, with several completions between 2010 and 2024.

Wijk's research focuses on healthcare environments, geriatric care, person-centred care, and the physical and organizational factors influencing health, functioning, activity, wellbeing, care quality, and patient safety. She leads the department's Health Care Environment Research group and is active in the University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care. With over 140 peer-reviewed scientific articles, nine edited books, more than 40 book chapters, and substantial external funding of 39.2 million SEK as principal investigator, her work has significant impact. Notable publications include her 2001 PhD thesis and the 2015 book 'Environmental adaptations promoting participation' co-authored with G. Aremyr. She received the Excellent Teacher title in 2017 and serves on steering groups for national quality registries Senior Alert and SveDem, boards including the Swedish Society of Nursing, and various research councils and networks. Wijk contributes to improvement science, interdisciplinary collaborations between healthcare, academia, and architecture, and teaches courses on health of older people, dementia, and care environments.