Nordic Doctoral Training in Health Sciences (NorDoc) is a consortium consisting of 21 universities that train PhD candidates in medicine and health sciences across the Nordic region. The aim is to strengthen collaboration and improve the education available to PhD students across national borders and institutes. is a consortium consisting of 21 universities that train PhD candidates in medicine and health sciences across the Nordic region. The aim is to strengthen collaboration and improve the education available to PhD students across national borders and institutes. As Vice-Dean for Research and Researcher Education here at MED, I have been elected as the new chair of NorDoc.
I am very inspired by the work that has been put into NorDoc to give young researchers a wider range of courses to choose from and greater opportunities to share ideas. The Nordic countries share many common values and face many of the same challenges, and NorDoc provides young people with an arena to get to know other researchers and develop collaboration. It is therefore very exciting to be given the privilege of leading this initiative for the next three years. I am passionate about helping researchers connect across national borders – we need to work together to find new solutions.
Far too few researchers from UiO take advantage of the opportunity to take courses at other Nordic universities or attend the popular summer school that NorDoc arranges each year. This summer, it is being held at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University (link) in August, and this year’s theme is the highly relevant topic antibiotic resistance.
Meeting with motivated postdoctoral fellows
The Postdoctoral Programme is the Faculty’s career development programme for researchers at the beginning of their research career. On Tuesday, I met with a group of highly motivated postdoctoral fellows who were attending the programme course on application writing and communication. – How can my research help society, and how can I create more interest in the topic?
"Making highly complex research easily understandable is an art we must all try to master, and we can learn a lot from other people’s experience. I get the impression that the participants were very satisfied with the course and realise that the skills they learned will be useful and benefit them for years to come."
The Office of the Dean has great ambitions to expand and further develop the courses for postdoctoral fellows, in order to meet the varying needs of candidates in their career path after completing their PhD. We know that one size does not fit all and are looking at opportunities to tailor the offerings and expand the programme, so that more people can get good help to establish themselves as a researcher. I would encourage anyone who wants to get involved to send their ideas and suggestions to the Dean’s digital mailbox (in Norwegian).
The next course in the Postdoctoral Programme is Research Management. – a universally useful field. Sign up today!
MED’s call for applications for Ukraine grants
The University of Oslo has developed various initiatives to help the people affected by the war in Ukraine. The Faculty of Medicine is pleased to announce funding to support research and other measures to strengthen collaboration and academic development. The thematic area for projects is the physical and mental health of people living in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Norway. The funding can be used for research, academic collaboration and/or academic gatherings. The projects can involve and support Ukrainian researchers – in Ukraine and in Norway.
On 14 September, the Faculty of Medicine is hosting a large academic gathering in the University Aula to share knowledge about the situation of the people affected by the war in Ukraine and effective measures in Norway and Ukraine. I would encourage all interested parties to make time to attend this gathering. Parties awarded funding from MED will be invited to contribute to the gathering alongside other relevant academic groups. Welcome!
Yours sincerely, Grete