Monthly Archives: October 2014

Norwegian Nobel Prize Physiology or Medicine

Eystein Husebye6 October came with the news that May-Britt and Edvard Moser together with the British neuroscientist John O’Keefe were this year’s winners of the Nobel Price in Physiology or Medicine, a fantastic achievement. The UiB newsletter “På Høyden” comments in an article 8 October that it is not only the researchers themselves that have been focused in their work, the research leaders at NTNU, The Norwegian Research Council of Norway and the Ministry of Education and Research, and The Kavli Foundation have all pulled in the same direction, providing close to 600 million Norwegian kroners to the Moser group until now.

However, the success is not only about funding. A good framework and research-promoting environment is also paramount. One of the factors that professor May-Britt Moser mentions is mobility and temporary positions. She asks: Would the Norwegian football team Rosenborg have had so much success if every player had a permantent employment? The best research groups have a lot of mobility – people come and go; only the very best stay on and built their own groups. Her conclusion is that Norway needs to apply the American tenure track system. Young talents should have a 5-7 year period to qualify for a permanent position, and not everybody will succeed.

The minister of Education and Research now invites our Universities to a dialogue on how to improve Norwegian research. We have the chance to argue for increased mobility and how to foster an environment that can create new success stories such as the Moser’s have. It is therefore my hope that it will not take 113 years before the next Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to a Norwegian researcher working in Norway.

Eystein Husebye

Acting Head of Department

Noise in the hallways- 8th floor, Lab-building

We have received information that many PhD-Candidates working in the open office area on the 8th floor of the Laboratory Building often find it difficult to concentrate on the work due to noise coming from the hallways. Thus we kindly ask everyone to bear this in mind and take care so that not too much noise is generated in the hallways.

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Seminar on Research Politics 2014

The Norwegian Association of Researchers is inviting to a seminar focusing on research politics.  The title of this year’s seminar is “The bigger, the better?  Structure and quality in the education- and research sector”.  For more information click here (in Norwegian). Form for signing up click here (in Norwegian)

Time: Monday November 3, 9:30 – 15:30
Place:  Hotell Bristol, Oslo

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New Publications

Week 42/2014.

Sex differences in cardiovascular outcome during progression of aortic valve stenosis.
Cramariuc D, Rogge BP, Lønnebakken MT, Boman K, Bahlmann E, Gohlke-Bärwolf C, Chambers JB, Pedersen TR, Gerdts E.
Heart. 2014 Oct 9. PMID: 25301859

Based on last week’s search forDepartment of Clinical Science AND Bergen”. If you have publications which are not covered by this search, send the reference to olivera.bozickovic@k2.uib.no

Skill training in the medicine curriculum

Eva GerdtsIt is time for moose hunting and autumn break, and practical skills are probably useful in both. In the professional medicine curriculum, training of practical skills is also important. Many of these skills were earlier obtained during the medical internship (turnustjenesten), but must now be incorporated into the study curriculum. A national competence list is being worked out and will provide guidelines for what skills must be taught in the medicine curriculum, also here at UiB. However, we as academic lecturers, have to organize and quality assure training in these skills within the curriculum.

Practical training periods at collaborative hospitals are important arenas for skill training, as well as the skill laboratory. On 17.09.14 we conducted a meeting on harmonization of requirements regarding skills and skill training in the 3rd medical term, and a new approval card is currently being developed, and will be introduced starting spring 2015. Remember that the requirements for completed service are, together with exams, what guides the students’ learning and training. In cooperation with K1, an expert group has now been established with the responsibility of developing the training which will be offered at the skill center. Head of this group is Associate Professor Steinar Skrede. Do you have any input as to what skills should be focused on related to your own teaching area? If so, please initiate a discussion on this topic with other teachers in your area.

Miniseminar on projects for mutation analyses of sarcoma as starting point for individualized treatment

NCGC (National Cancer Genetics Consortium, led by Ola Myklebost) collaborates witch clinicians in order to map mutations and molecular biological mechanisms which many serve as a starting point for individualized targeted treatment of various tumor types. A national mapping of mutations related to a high-grade sarcoma (NoSarC) is planned. One of NCGC’s international collaboration partners is Professor David Thomas, director of The Kinghorn Cancer Institute at The Garvan Institute for Medical Research in Sydney, Australia. David Thomas is a well renowned oncologist engaged in both clinical, molecular and cell biology research.

Ola Myklebost wishes to invite all oncologists at the Department of Oncology/Barneklinikken, the doctors at the research post, as well as all members of the sarcoma group at HUS to a small seminar with David Thomas. Ola Myklebost will give a brief introduction to NoSarC. Next, David Thomas will give a lecture on International Sarcoma Kindred Study (a global genetic, biological, epidemiological and clinical mapping of questions related to hereditary sarcoma) as well as on a new personalized strategy for clinical trials involving rare cancer diseases where it is very difficult to prove effects of medication targeting specific attributes in tumors with certain mutations.

Time and place: Monday October 13 at 10-12, Laboratory building, 6th floor, seminar room 6.1-6.2.

Seminar at the KG Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research

KGJ gruppen mars 2014. Sv-Hv.JPGTwice a year the KG Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research is arranging a one-day seminar for all participants of the center. Thursday September 25th, the focus was on international collaboration.

It has become a tradition to hold the seminar at Urdihuset. In pleasant surroundings members meet to discuss and share research experience, all with the same goal: to promote diabetes research.

Professor Anne Christine Johannessen, the Vice-Rector for international affairs at the University of Bergen, was invited to open the seminar. She gave a nice overview of agreements that UiB holds with institutions throughout the world. She presented strategies, possibilities, and founding opportunities to promote internationalization for both education and research.

Next, inspiring talks were given by Professor Pål. R. Njølstad , Postdoctor Simon Dankel, Professor Anders Molven and Associate Professor Jørn Sagen. They shared their experience from research stays in the States, including Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Harvard Medical School, University of Chicago, and Baylor College of Medicine. They all emphasized the importance of travelling abroad, to get inspiration and ideas, to start new collaborations, to get access to patient cohorts, and not least to meet new people. They also gave examples of how coincidences can lead to fruitful collaborations, followed by publications in high impact journals such as Nature, Cell and PNAS . Continue reading

Norwegian Language Courses for Employees at UiB and their Partners

The Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies offer courses in Norwegian Language and Culture for employees at UiB, as well for their partners. In order to apply you must have a 100% engagement at UiB for a minimum period of 6 months. All qualified applicants who apply before the deadline 1 November will be offered a seat for one of the courses.
For more information and application form