Dr. Ellingsen founded the Laboratory of Cellular Cardiology at NTNU in 1996. The focus of the lab is Exercise in Medicine. Its long-term goals are to understand the mechanisms of the beneficial effects of exercise in cardiovascular disease, to translate them into better programs for prevention and rehabilitation, and to identify new targets for medical therapy.
He currently[when?] participates in the HUNT-3 survey of physical activity, aerobic capacity, and endothelial function in Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway, is the Principal Investigator and Steering Committee Chairperson of the SMARTEX-HF multicenter trial[2] and is a collaborating partner of Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG).[3] He has been involved in scientific research on biomedical effects of meditation since 2006.