Research Assistant: Street Nurses Working with Dual-Diagnosis Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Introduction to the topic:

Youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) is a growing concern in many high-income countries, including Denmark, and is often accompanied by serious mental health challenges and high-risk substance use, resulting in a “triple diagnosis.” These challenges can disrupt education, employment, and social relationships, increasing the risk of long-term marginalization, poor health, and continued housing instability. Improving how health and social services identify and support these young people is therefore a critical public health priority.

In Denmark, street nurses play a central role in reaching YEH, who are often excluded from mainstream society and healthcare. By building trust-based, non-judgmental relationships, they support young people in navigating health needs, daily challenges, and broader social barriers. Despite the complexity and importance of this work, relatively little research has examined the everyday practices of street nurses or how screening for mental health and substance use can be adapted to the lived realities of YEH.

Project details:

This two-part research project investigates the complex work of street nursing YEH in Copenhagen and aims to develop a practical screening tool to support the identification of mental health conditions, substance use, and broader needs among YEH or youth at risk of homelessness. Research Assistants (RAs) will engage in qualitative, community-based research and work closely with street nurses and outreach services.

In the first phase, RAs will explore the profession of street nursing through observations, shadowing, and semi-structured interviews with street nurses and key collaborators, such as healthcare professionals, municipal staff, and community partners. This phase focuses on understanding daily practices, professional values, challenges, and inter-agency collaboration in outreach healthcare.

In the second phase, RAs will contribute to the development of a screening tool designed for use in street-based settings. This will involve reviewing existing assessment tools, integrating insights from fieldwork and interviews, and collaborating with practitioners to identify key indicators of mental health and substance use risk. The tool will be informally tested and refined based on feedback from street nurses and youth.

Through this project, RAs will gain hands-on experience with qualitative research methods, ethical fieldwork with vulnerable populations, applied public health research, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The best-suited RAs will be those who approach the work with empathy, openness, and respect for young people experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges, and of the expertise of street nurses. This research is not solely an academic endeavor but an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the field.

The challenge of “Triple Diagnosis”: Screening and treatment of youth with dual diagnosis experiencing homelessness in Denmark.

Selected relevant publications:

Dawson-Rose, C., Shehadeh, D., Hao, J., Barnard, J., Khoddam-Khorasani, L. L., Leonard, A., Clark, K., Kersey, E., Mousseau, H., Frank, J., Miller, A., Carrico, A., Schustack, A., & Cuca, Y. P. (2020). Trauma, substance use, and mental health symptoms in transitional age youth experiencing homelessness. Public Health Nursing, 37(3), 363–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12727
Green, B., Kim, F. L., & Dean, D., Jr. (2020). Substance use and treatment among youth experiencing homelessness: 1992–2017. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(6), 786–792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.04.019
Player, E., Clark, E., Gure-Klinke, H., Walker, J., & Steel, N. (2020). A case study of tri-morbidity. Journal of Public Mental Health, 19(3), 213–219. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-05-2020-0047

Additional research application required

You will need to submit an additional research application through Student Registration in order to enroll in this course.

To submit your research application, you must already be admitted to DIS.

All research application materials must be submitted on the following dates by 23:59 Central European Time:

November 1 for spring semester applicants
May 1 for fall semester applicants

Complete your additional research application through Student Registration.

If you are not already enrolled, use this link to apply to DIS before completing a research application.

Syllabus

Fall 2025

Go to syllabus

Faculty

Priyanka Ranganath

Faculty

PhD. from Center for Drug and Alcohol Research, Aarhus University, 2022. Masters in Comparative Social Change, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, 2018. Masters in International Business, Monash University, Melbourne, 2008. Development and Research Associate at G.L.OB.A.L. Justice, Colorado in 2019. Marketing Coordinator, Yooralla, Melbourne, 2016-2017. Marketing and Communications Coordinator at OzChild Children Australia Inc., Melbourne, 2012-2014. Marketing Coordinator at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, 2010-2012. With DIS since, 2022.

Research Assistantship FAQ

Learn more about research at DIS.

: Earning authorship within the course of a semester is challenging. Exceptional Research Assistants may be considered for co-authorship, subject to evaluation from the supervising Research Mentor.

Though you may not ultimately become an author on a published paper, you will gain many practical skills and insights into the publication process.

: Many research projects last across several semesters, so not all RAs on the same project will conduct the same research.

: On average, students in 3-credit Research Assistantships spend at least 10 hours a week on research tasks. These 10 hours per week consist of a variety of different research-related tasks, including conducting a literature review, data collection, analyses, coding, documentation, and meetings with your mentor. You may decide on a particular block of time (consistent each week) for you to carry out the work, or adjust it on a week-by-week basis.

Students in a 6-credit Research Assistantships spend an average of 20 hours per week with lab and clinically based research tasks. You decide the exact meeting and lab times with your supervisor, but your schedule consists of classes at DIS two days a week, with two days a week in the lab.

There may be peak times in the research process where all Research Assistant students are expected to spend a few more hours, and then possibly fewer hours another week – to reflect the individual research project and process.

: Work for the 3-credit Research Assistantships may take place outside DIS, on your own time at a location of your choosing, or at DIS – this varies from project to project. The 6-credit research assistantships generally take place at labs in Copenhagen or Stockholm outside DIS.

: Students with a variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply for the 3-credit Research Assistant course. While some courses do have prerequisites, many opportunities do not require prior research experience.

The 6-credit Research Assistant opportunity is designed for highly motivated students who have a strong science background within the field of interest and some basic research experience. The student must be willing to commit a large portion of their semester to an engaging opportunity involving hands-on research in universities and medical institutes in Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Introduction to the topic:

Project details:

Additional research application required

Syllabus

Fall 2025

Faculty

Priyanka Ranganath

Research Assistantship FAQ

Will I publish a research paper?

What exactly will I do?

What is the time commitment for a 3-credit or 6-credit Research Assistantship?

Where is the research work carried out?

What type of student applies for the 3- and 6-credit Research Assistant courses?