Although work areas and roles are given below for each member of the team, the extensive competence and experience of each individual will be used jointly to solve the dean's many tasks. The composition of the team ensures that the new Dean’s Office can carry out broad and thorough professional assessments and contribute to robust and sustainable solutions.
Jens Petter Berg's team:
Dean: Jens Petter Berg, professor of clinical biochemistry, current Vice-dean for research at the Faculty of Medicine.
Pro-dean for the study of medicine: Elin Olaug Rosvold, professor of general medicine, current Pro-Dean for the study of medicine at the Faculty of Medicine.
Pro-dean for Research and Innovation: Tom Hemming Karlsen, Professor of Internal Medicine, Head of Research at the Clinic of Surgery, Inflammatory diseases and Transplantation, Institute of Clinical Medicine and OUS.
Vice-dean for Research Education and Internationalization: Eivind Engebretsen, Professor of Medical Science Theory, current Vice Dean for postdoctoral and master's programs.
Vice-dean for Bachelor's and Master's Programs: Stine Marie Ulven, Professor of Nutrition, current Head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences.
Pro-dean for the study of medicine: Elin Olaug Rosvold
I am a professor in general practice at the Institute of Health and Society (Helsam). From 2019, I have been Pro-Dean for Medical Studies and Head of the professional study in medicine at The Faculty of Medicine. Before that, I was Head of the professional study in medicine for one year. I have been employed at UiO since 1993 as a doctoral research fellow, researcher, lecturer, associate professor, and professor. During all my time at UiO I have been a teacher at the medical study, and I have had positions as Head of teaching (undervisningsleder) in general practice and Head of 10th semester (semesterleder) at the medical study (now module 7). I was Head of education for all studies at Helsam 2015-17. I also participated in the development of the new curriculum i medicine, Oslo 2014. In 2008-10 I was Deputy Head of Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine (now in Helsam), and in 2013 -18 I held the position as the first Head of the Norwegian Research School in General Practice.
In addition to my academic positions, I have worked part time as an occupational health officer at the Unit for Health, Safety and Environment at UiO 2002-11. In 2011-13, I was Head of the new Occupational Health Unit at UiO. I have represented medicine in national committees such as the National Curriculum Regulation for Norwegian Health and Welfare Education (RETHOS) from 2018 and from 2019 as a member of the UHR disciplinary strategic unit for health and social care. I was a member of the Professional Council, National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI) in 2010 (deputy 2005-09).
Working as Pro-Dean of medical studies I have gained a deep insight in all parts of the medical curriculum and been in close contact with students, teachers and administrative staff. The last years we have started regular meetings with the student representatives every second week. We have also focused on involving students in our large projects such as the new campus at Sørlandet Hospital (UiO Campus sør) and a renewal of the medical curriculum (Kvalitetsløftet Oslo 2014). The covid-19 pandemic has delayed the renewal of the curriculum, but at the same time, we have gained experiences with new teaching and collaborative methods. During the pandemic, I have had close collaboration with students and teachers, and we succeeded in getting through the pandemic without the students losing important teaching and progression in their studies.
At The Faculty of Medicine, our social responsibility to educate new physicians has the highest priority. I have been responsible for outlining UiO’s responses to the Grimstad report on increasing the number of medical students in Norway, and for the input to the follow-up by the interdepartmental task force. In collaboration with the university hospitals and South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse sør-øst), we have proposed to increase the admission of up to 210 new medical students at UiO. I have also been the leader of the steering group for the new decentralized university campus, UiO Campus sør, where we collaborate with Sørlandet Hospital and the municipalities in Agder. These are both complex and demanding projects, but in my opinion, we have established a good basis for educating a higher number of students and establishing a new campus. The increased number of students will demand a thorough review of the present medical curriculum, and we have already made plans for a renewal of the curriculum. In all changes that may come, we will put emphasis on securing an inspiring and including learning environment in collaboration with students, academic and administrative staff at our faculty.
I have also been involved in the investigation of testing general prerequisites as an additional admission criterion for medical students. We are now looking forward to the Government’s report on new admission criteria to see if it will be possible to implement the test.
UiO prioritizes interprofessional education (IPE). Since 2016, I have participated in a project (SamPraks) introducing IPE for students at four of the faculties at the university. I am currently leading the steering committee. We are now expanding the project to include students at six faculties. The Faculty of Medicine is coordinating the project.
Pro-dean for Research and Innovation: Tom Hemming Karlsen
I currently work as professor (internal medicine) and head of research in the Division of surgery, inflammatory diseases and transplantation («KIT») at UiO and OUS. I am a medical doctor by training, with specialist accreditations for internal medicine and gastroenterology. Throughout my entire career I have performed clinical routine work alongside research and administrative duties, currently in a 20% position as senior consultant at the Department of Transplantation medicine (“ATX”).
Deep knowledge on organizational matters and administrative systems is necessary for a realistic and effective execution of faculty leadership. I have a broad experience from research administration at both UiO and OUS, e.g. through representation in numerous institutional bodies and projects, including various research councils/biobank councils, national processes related to personalized medicine, and board and reference group participation for the UiO Life Science. At the Faculty of Medicine I am familiar with all institutes; most thoroughly Institute of Clinical Medicine through my main position and own research, but as research head of KIT I also cover two research groups at the Institute of Health and Society, and have become familiarized with the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and NCMM through CoE board management and several productive research collaborations.
Throughout the years, my career has always had a strong international component. I have engaged actively in international organizations related to research dissemination and research politics, both as past secretary general for the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Geneva, and currently as board member of the umbrella organization for medical research organizations in Europe (Biomed Alliance) in Brussels – an organization mainly aimed at strengthening and coordinating research funding and research regulations in Europe. The leadership at the Faculty of Medicine has a significant responsibility in facilitating international collaborations in biomedical and health-related research at UiO and to actively engage in politics related to research and innovation – at both a national and international level.
My own research experience spans relatively broadly from basic laboratory methodologies, with an emphasis on genetics, to a broader portfolio of translational and clinical studies and trials. Collaboration is possibly the best descriptor for my work – both as researcher and otherwise. I have led and built several international consortia in immunogenetics – and more recently for Covid-19, and initiated and led the Lancet Commission for liver diseases in Europe which launched its report this winter. I was called to membership at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 2019 and maintain an engagement in the societal discourse on research-related matters and related political work, an experience which is relevant for responsibilities of the faculty leadership pertaining to research politics.
Vice-Dean for bachelor and master studies (50 %): Stine Marie Ulven
I am professor in nutrition at Department of Nutrition, at Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IMB). I am currently the head of department at the Department of Nutrition.
I have received my teaching, research and leadership experience from my positions as PhD student (1995-2000), and post-doctoral fellow (2002-2004) at Department of Nutrition, IMB, UiO. I have been associate professor at Akershus University college (today OsloMet) (2004-2015), before I became professor at Department of Nutrition (from 2015). I have acted as deputy head of the Department of Nutrition (from 2019), and as head of Department of Nutrition (since 2021).
I have been a member of the Akershus University College Governing board (2007-2011), member of the Faculty of Health sciences Governing board, Oslo and Akershus University College of applied sciences (2011-2015), and member of the Institute Council, IMB, Faculty of Medicine/University of Oslo (2019-2020). These experiences have given me valuable understanding of strategy work and economy at faculty and institute levels. Additionally, I have been responsible for the research training in a Nordic Centre of Excellence in food, nutrition and health, funded by Nordforsk.
The students are a great asset to the Faculty, in research with their bachelor and master projects, as well as in practical training at the hospitals or the municipalities, and in the development of the education. I want to make sure that the faculty actively uses the competence of the students, in collaboration with OUS, AHUS and Oslo Municipality. I want to use my own experiences from the master program in clinical nutrition and the medical studies to develop the bachelor and master studies in collaboration with education leaders, staff and students. The new master program in Public health and Epidemiology will get particular focus. I will make sure we reach our goals by using my leadership skills to see, listen to, learn from and inspire my colleagues.
In order to develop our bachelor and master studies, I want to have a tight and good dialog with future employers, and other universities with similar educations. I will use my networks at OsloMet and other universities with master programs in clinical nutrition, and my network at Nordic Universities. I also want to continue to include bachelor and master students and staff in the Circle U alliance.
Well-being among students and staff promotes education and development, and reduces the risk of drop-outs among the students. I want to give the staff possibility to use new education methods, piloting career program for students, and elucidate the possibility to develop a student clinic in clinical nutrition, and to create an even better teaching culture among the staff at the Faculty.
Vice-dean for Research Education and Internationalization (50 %): Eivind Engebretsen
I have experience as a leader in various positions at MED and UiO, including as Vice-Dean for bachelor's, master's and postdoctoral programs and, previously, as Research Director with the responsibility for the postdoctoral program. In addition, I am the Executive Chair of the Center for Sustainable Health Education (SHE), which is Norway’s first Center of Excellence in Education (SFU) in the field of health. From 2021, I am appointed by the University President as UiO's Academic Chair for Global Health at the European University Alliance Circle U.
One of my most important ambitions as an academic leader and professor has been to develop a new generation of confident, questioning interdisciplinary scholars through systematic career support and researcher training at various levels. Since 2015, I have led the development of the faculty's postdoctoral programme, which is Norway’s first postdoctoral training programme at faculty level. Before this, I contributed as Head of Postgraduate Studies at Helsam to the renewal of the PhD programme at MED. I have also led the development of a new PhD program in social policy at OsloMet and a professorship program at the University of Agder. Through the faculty's Center of Excellence in Education / SHE I also work to develop new principles and methods for research-driven education. My future ambition is to integrate research education at various levels through the establishment of Clinical Academic Groups (CAGs), and intergenerational mentoring schemes where, for example, PhD students supervise master's students and postdocs mentor PhD students. I also want to facilitate more systematic mobility and internationalization of the research training through Circle U.
With a background in the history of ideas, I have a humanistic perspective on health and I have taken an active part in the development of health humanities as a research field internationally, most recently through my research on the importance of language and narrative for effective public health interventions during the corona pandemic. From 2019-2020 I was a research group leader at the Center for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters with a project on the influence of cultural contexts on the knowledge translation processes for health decision-making, and I have led the development of a WHO report on the same topic that will be published in August 2022.