Monthly Archives: June 2021

Good summer!

Dear all,

I am again acting head of the department while Pål works on his SFF application. I keep my fingers crossed that we get rewarded for it and wish him and his whole team good luck!

And I have to say, it is a pleasure to write this last editorial before the summer. First, I would like to congratulate Eva Gerdts and her research group Hypertension and Heart Dynamics  / Centre for Research on Heart Disease in Women who were awarded the faculty’s prize as  research/innovation environment of the year .

As mentioned before, the faculty’s teaching prize went to the endocrinology community for “Endopodden”, a podcast on endocrinological topics created by PhD candidate Åse Bjorvatn Sævik with active contributions from the academic community and medical students. The awards will be presented on Faculty Day on 20 October.

In addition, we also learned yesterday that Camilla Krakstad, Emmet McCormack and Yenan Bryceson have been allocated their NFR projects  Congratulations on your awards!

As I said, this is the last K2nytt before summer, I wish everyone a really good summer!

Silke

Change in the institute management

As you know, our former Head of Administration Julie Stavnes has left. Following the announcement of the position, Maria Holmaas has now been hired as the new Head of Administration. Most of you probably know Mia. She holds a Master’s Degree in Management from BI and has long and broad work experience from the business world in finance, management, personnel administration and HR. Mia has been employed at K2 since 2016 and has worked with project administration and financial management. We are lucky to get such a competent person to the management team at K2. Welcome, Mia!

Three applications from the Faculty of Medicine proceeded to phase 2 of SFF-V. These are

The Center for Translational Epidemiology, IGS and others, is headed by Tone Bjørge

Bergen Center for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health, IGS and others, led by Ole Frithjof Norheim

Center for Diabetes Mechanisms, K2 and others, led by Pål R. Njølstad

The Dean wants full focus on these SFF applications with the effect that I am given temporary leave from my position as head of department until 150921. Silke Appeal immediately moves up as Acting Head of Department and Emmet McCormack as Head of Research. All inquiries, emails, telephones etc. must thus go to these and me during this time.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Silke and Emmet for your willingness to take on these positions. I am sure you will manage your duties in an excellent way and wish you the best of luck!

Have a great weekend!

(Norsk) Disputas – Divya Sri Priyanka Tallapragada – 24.06.21

Divya Sri Priyanka Tallapragada

Trial lecture:              Thursday, 24 June 2021, kl 13.15

Topic:                             “The thrift gene hypothesis – just a hypothesis or why we are getting obese?”

Defence:                      Thursday, 24 June 2021, kl 15.15

Dissertation:                  “Novel adipose genes in substrate- and depot-dependent lipid accumulation”

1st opponent:                  Senior Lecturer Ingrid Wernstedt Asterholm, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

2nd opponent:                 Professor Ola Hansson, Lund University, Sweden

Committee leader:          Professor Stian Knappskog, University of Bergen

The defence will be led by Professor Emerita Birgitta Åsjø

Link to digital defence

Pr

Disputas – Elvira García de Jalón Viñegra, 25.06.21

Trial lecture:      Friday June 25th, at 10.15

Topic:                “Imaging agents with a theranostic potential”

Difence:                    Friday June 25th at 12.15

Title:      “Preclinical molecular imaging in oncology – From chemical synthesis to clinical translatable applications”

  1. opponent: Professor Frauke Alves, Max-Planck-Institut für Experimentelle Medizin, Tyskland
    2. opponent:                 Førsteamanuensis Jørn H. Hansen, UiT – Norges arktiske universitet   3. medlem av komiteen: Professor Frits A. Thorsen, Universitetet i Bergen

Disputasen blir ledet av professor Silke Appel.

Open to all.

Link to digital defence

Press release

(Norsk) Disputas – Einar Marius Hjellestad Martinsen , 25.06.21

Einar Marius Hjellestad Martinsen

Trial lecture:          Friday June 25th, at  10.15

Topic:                           “Use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and the composition of the pulmonary microbiome”

Defences:                                  Friday June 25th, at 12.15

Avhandlingens tittel:          “The mycobiome in COPD: Descriptive and longitudinal analysis, and participation in research bronchoscopy studies”

  1. opponent: Professor Paul Bowyer, Universitetet i Manchester
  2. opponent: Førsteamanuensis Anne Hildur Henriksen, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet
  3. medlem av komiteen: Professor Mai Tone Lønnebakken, Universitetet i Bergen

Custos:  professor Anette Susanne Bøe Wolff.

Open for all.

Lenke til digital disputas

Pressmelding

Are you interested in becoming an evaluator for EU projects? Free Webinar Tuesday 22. June 10:00 – 11:00

Are you interested in becoming an evaluator for EU projects?

There are many reasons why this could be a good idea:

  • you will expand your international network
  • you will have a chance to closely follow state-of-the art in your area
  • you will gain insights into the evaluation process which will help you in writing proposals
  • and many others… including that this job can be really interesting and fun!

If this sounds interesting to you, please register for the webinar here: Are you interested in becoming an evaluator for EU projects? (forskningsradet.no)

The webinar is arranged by the Research Council of Norway, and is free of charge.

You will learn from an experienced evaluator;  Joe Gorman, who will share his experience and give you useful tips.  Joe is senior researcher at SINTEF, with many years of experience from working as evaluator and with the European Commission. We will talk about

  • what kinds of evaluator profile the EU is looking for
  • how you can set up your expert profile in the best way
  • and other things you can do in order to increase you chance of being selected as an evaluator.

The webinar will be dialogue-based, and you will have plenty of time to ask questions and discuss with Joe.

Registration possible from July 1 for fall term courses; CCBIO903, CCBIONEUR910, CCBIONEUR911 and CCBIONEUR912

Dear all

From July 1, it is possible to register for the fall term courses from CCBIO and Neuro-SysMed, and deadline is September 1. For all courses, please register in Studentweb if you are already enrolled at the UiB. If you are not enrolled at the UiB, you register through Søknadsweb, where you simultaneously apply for UiB guest student status.

Continue reading

Teaching and teaching prizesy

The annual Teaching Day was successfully conducted on May 19th in collaboration between K2 and K1, with good attendance. I want to thank all of you who contributed to making this into a great day!

Heiko Bratke

 

The K2 Teaching Prize was awarded to Heiko Bratke at section for pediatrics at Haugesund Hospital. He was awarded the prize for developing a well-structured digital educational content in MittUiB during the pandemic.

 

 

 

Åse Bjorvatn Sævik

 

 

PhD-student Åse Bjorvatn Sævik from the Endocrinology group was awarded one of the Faculty’s teaching prizes for developing the podcast “Endopodden” as a teaching tool. This project was also selected for nomination to the UGLE prize.

 

 

Monika Kvernenes from Unit for learning also received a teaching prize from the Faculty. Monika has since 2015 worked strategically with the aim of improving teaching skills amongst teachers and lecturers at the Faculty of Medicine. At the Teaching Day, she told us about the need for basic training in teaching and how to document teaching skills end experience, a requirement which is now being reinforced.

The recent UGLE meeting discussed the organization of teaching. Vestlandslegen is being planned and will likely replace MED2015 as a programme encompassing both students who will remain in Bergen throughout their study period as well as students who will have their first 3 years in Bergen followed by 3 years in Stavanger, Haugesund or Førde.The number of students is estimated to surpass 300 over time for years 1-3.

When student numbers increase, we need to be smart. One smart move is to involve student as teachers. K2 recently attracted “corona money” dedicated to positions for students either as teachers at several courses or as “digital assistants” to assist us all in digital teaching activities.

OSCE 6 and 12 are ongoing – a great thank you to all of you (administrative staff as well as teaching staff) who make a huge effort to make this happen! Good luck with the last efforts – end of term and summer vacation are beckoning!

Dissertation: Stein-Erik Hafstad Solvang 16.06.21

Trial lecture June 16th at kl. 9.15

Subject: Oppgitt emne: “Inflammation in normal aging and frailty, what are the mechanisms and clinical implications”

 

 

 

Dissertation June 16th at 11.15

Avhandlingens tittel: “The kynurenine pathway in cognition, dementia, and aging”

  1. opponent:  Professor Sophie Erhardt, Karolinska Institutet, Sverige
  2. opponent: Dr.med. Hege Ihle-Hansen, Oslo Universitetssykehus
  3. medlem av komiteen: Førsteamanuensis II Rune A. Kroken, Universitetet i Bergen

Disputasen blir ledet av professor Tone Merete Norekvål.

Open for all

Lenke til digital disputas

Pressemelding

Hovedveileder: dr.med. Lasse Mælver Giil
Medveiledere: professor emeritus Jan-Erik Nordrehaug og professor emeritus Grethe Tell

Dissertation: Inger Marie Skoie

Foto: Svein Lunde, SUS

Trial lecture:                         Friday June 18th at  09.15

Oppgitt emne:      “Kløe, frustrasjon og håp: Gamle, nye og kommende legemidler mot uttalt atopisk dermatitt og deres virkningsmekanisme”

Dissertation:                                                  Friday June 18th at 11.00

Avhandlingens tittel:               «Fatigue in psoriasis: prevalence and biological mechanisms»

  1. opponent: Professor Petter Gjersvik, Universitetet i Oslo
  2. opponent: Professor Arne Klungland, Universitetet i Oslo
  3. medlem av komiteen: Førsteamanuensis Heidi Grundt, Universitetet i Bergen

Custos: Professor Hartwig Kørner

Open for all

Lenke til digital disputas

Pressemelding

Hovedveileder: professor emeritus Roald Omdal
Medveiledere: dr.med. Thomas Ternowitz, dr.scient. Grete Jonsson, ph.d. Katrine B. Norheim

CCBIO Junior Scientist Symposium (JUSS) June 17, 2021

We have the pleasure of inviting you to our CCBIO Junior Scientist Symposium (JUSS) June 17, 2021! This is an online event in Zoom.

Our keynote speaker Gro Vatne Røsland will give us an overview of microbiota in heath and diseases.  Local junior researchers will present exciting findings using liquid biopsies in metastatic melanoma and organoid models to study COVID-19 infection, advancing cancer research with murine tumor models and mass cytometry, and how to track systemic glioblastoma stem cells.

Join us for a perfect occasion for professional input and digital networking! Open for all.

When: Thursday June 17, 2021 at 09:00 – 12:15 (Norwegian time)

Where: Digital event in Zoom (logon details will be sent to registered participants)

Program: can be found here.

Registration: At ccbiojuss.no  (Even if you have registered for CCBIO901 in Studentweb.)

General information: More information about the Junior Scientist Symposia can be found here.

ECTS: Part of CCBIO901, with 3 credits (participation in the program through 2 terms.) All are however welcome for non-ECTS drop-in on each individual symposium. Perhaps you spot an interesting topic? Just remember to register!