Category: This weeks editorial

Dear everyone,

There was a depressed mood at the general meeting on Monday that I would like to turn around. As Nina wrote in last week's editorial, the report is not a conclusion, but a side-glance. Now it is up to us and the faculty to assess which measures can best take us forward. At the same time, it will be crucial that we make wise choices that safeguard the department and the strong academic environments. It is far easier to destroy the research environment than to build up. Therefore, we must have a long-term perspective on what we implement to avoid this.

We must look ahead, and as I said at the meeting, we are already well on our way to financial balance, and the forecasts show that we will deliver positive results from 2027. We still have to pay off the debt, but the arrows are pointing in the right direction, and together we will make it happen. I already see light at the end of the tunnel with the annual accounts, and then we must continue to work as a team with each other and the faculty.

Have a great (Halloween) weekend!   

Silke

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Dear all employees at K2

A working group has been asked to take an external look at K2 over the past few months. The report from this working group has now been completed.

At the same time, the report from the working group that reviewed the faculty’s core facilities is also available. Together, these reports form the basis for both the Faculty Board matter (61/2026) and the K2 staff meeting taking place next week.

The working group highlights a number of issues that the institute leadership has already been aware of and has begun addressing.

One example is how projects funded by the RCN, the EU, and other sources can contribute to improved finances for both the research groups and the institute. One key aspect is the use of buyout arrangements, allowing both ourselves and other employees to dedicate a portion of their time to externally funded projects.

Another issue concerns the core facilities. A separate working group has reviewed these, but it is important to emphasize that the recommendations presented in the report are only proposals and should not be interpreted as decisions about what will ultimately happen.

Finally, teaching activities, particularly within the Western Norway Medical School initiative (Vestlandslegen), must be reviewed. At this stage, I can only suggest that a more thorough analysis is needed of K2 staff members’ contributions to medical education. We do not feel that our efforts are fully recognized, but we need to establish the facts before drawing conclusions.

I wish you all an interesting read. It is up to us, together, to draw conclusions. The report is not a definitive answer, but rather an external perspective. I believe we should be pleased that, in many ways, the group has identified the same challenges that we ourselves have recognized. However, it is our responsibility to find the solutions.

Have a great weekend!

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Dear everyone,

Mens høsten er her for fullt skjønner jeg godt at det er flere som ønsker seg utenlands. Men husk at dersom oppholdet varer i mer enn en måned, er det viktig at tilleggsavtalen er sendt til HR før reisen. Mer informasjon finnes her (https://www.uib.no/ut/106972/forberede-og-planlegge ).  

Høsten er for mange også tiden for medarbeidersamtaler. Jeg er i gang med forskningsgruppe- og kjernefasilitetslederne – her en liten påminnelse til dem som ikke har reservert tid enda om å gjøre det 🙂  Og an alle ansatte: har du ikke fått invitasjon til medarbeidersamtale i år, ta kontakt med din forskningsgruppeleder.

Otherwise, I would like to remind you again of the General Meeting with the Finance Working Group on October 26 at 10-11:30, auditorium at AHH.

Have a great weekend!

Silke

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Dear everyone,

September has been a very good month for K2 in terms of research:  

September has been a very good month for K2 in terms of research: Eystein Husebye's group published an exciting article in Science Translational Medicine about how hormone overproduction at night or early in the morning in primary aldosteronism can be measured with a new method they have developed (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aeb7517?referrer=httpswww4.uib.no). The study was also mentioned on UiB's website (https://www4.uib.no/forskning/aktuelt/oppdager-farlig-hormonforstyrrelse-mens-pasienten-sover)

Then Stefan Johansson's group (with medical student of the research line Jonas Sundfjord as joint first author) published a great article on how our genes control weight development in childhood in Nature Genetics (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-026-02772-y). It has not been mentioned on the website yet, but was mentioned in NRK Dagsrevyen on Wednesday.

Simona Chera received an award from Novo Nordisk, and Emmet Mc Cormack and Pascal Gelebart were awarded a Verification Grant from the Research Council of Norway. Congratulations to everyone!

And last but not least: You have all received a calendar invitation to a general meeting with the finance working group, led by Rolf Reed, for a review of the report, 26 October at 10-11:30, auditorium AHH. I hope as many people as possible can participate.

Have a great weekend!

Silke

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Dear everyone,

In the 245 study places we have in the medical program, there are now a total of 283 students in the 1st semester, distributed with 26 in Bergen/Haugesund, 30 in Bergen/Førde, 48 in Bergen/Stavanger, and 179 in Bergen/Bergen. During the first three years, when all medical students are gathered in Bergen, they will have a solid program with close cooperation between teachers from Department of Biomedicine, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Department of Clinical Medicine and Department of Clinical Science. The focus is to provide a good interdisciplinary foundation so that in the final three years, students in a good way can meet patients and experienced clinicians in Førde, Haugesund, Stavanger, and Bergen, where over the coming three years they will develop into good clinicians for the Norwegian healthcare system. Medical students are also an important part of Norwegian preparedness for crises and should be able to quickly step in as health care workers in case of pandemic/ disaster/war.

A lot of great work is currently being done in many teaching groups (UGs) at K2 with new and more detailed learning outcome descriptions that will be crucial for the multi-campus model. The students who are now in their 3rd year, i.e. MED5, will be the first cohort that (fall-27) will enter the joint multi-campus setup from MED7, i.e. they will have the same study model in Stavanger and Bergen. Førde and Haugesund will get their first new MED7-students in fall-28 and fall-29, respectively.

A reminder about the Medisinstudiet folder on MittUiB, which is openly available and contains a lot of useful information about Medisin2025 and Medisin2015, transfer arrangements, resource banks, as well as overviews on persons responsible for courses/UGLEs, semester boards/groups, etc. K2’s teaching groups, including UGLEs, can also be found on K2’s website (click to read to get active link)

Wishing you a very nice weekend!

Camilla

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