Professor Ute Bültmann is an internationally recognized authority in the field of work and health epidemiology with significant contributions to understanding occupational health across the lifespan. She currently serves as Professor of Work and Health, specifically from a life course epidemiological perspective, at the University Medical Center Groningen within the University of Groningen. Following the completion of her PhD at Maastricht University in 2001, where she investigated fatigue and psychological distress in the working population, she has established herself as a leading figure in occupational health research. In addition to her primary appointment, Professor Bültmann maintains significant international collaborations as a Visiting Professor at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen since 2015 and as a Guest Researcher with Karolinska Institute's Division of Insurance Medicine since 2012.
Professor Bültmann's research program has made seminal contributions to understanding the complex interplay between work conditions and health outcomes across the human lifespan. Her work focuses on the epidemiology of work and health, the prevention of work disability, and the facilitation of healthy ageing at work from a comprehensive life course perspective. She has pioneered approaches that integrate longitudinal data to identify critical windows for intervention in occupational health trajectories. Under her leadership, her research group has trained numerous scholars, currently comprising 3 postdoctoral researchers and 13 PhD students, with 20 doctoral candidates having successfully completed their degrees under her supervision.
As Program Leader of Public Health Research, Professor Bültmann plays a pivotal role in shaping the direction of work and health studies both nationally and internationally. Her research activities emphasize the critical importance of incorporating life course perspectives into contemporary work and health research to address emerging challenges in an aging workforce. She continues to advance innovative methodologies that bridge epidemiological theory with practical workplace interventions. Professor Bültmann remains dedicated to developing evidence-based strategies that promote sustainable employability and prevent work-related health issues across diverse occupational settings, ensuring her research maintains significant real-world impact on workplace health policies and practices.
