The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo was founded in 1814 and is Norway's oldest and largest medical faculty with regard to professional education in medicine, as well as PhD education and research activity.
We are also responsible for education within the fields of public health, international health, nutrition, health management, health policy and economics, and interdisciplinary health research.
The faculty plays a key role in Norwegian society. It is also an important partner, in both national and international collaborations.
The incumbent dean of the Faculty of Medicine has been elected for the period 2023-2026. During spring 2023, the dean's office worked closely with the faculty’s management group, institutes and units to develop a strategy for the Faculty of Medicine.
During spring and autumn 2023, this strategy work has been discussed with management and staff within the faculty's institutes and units, as well as with the Faculty Board and the Rectorate.
The strategy lays out the foundations for the work relating to the faculty's annual plan for the period 2024-2026. The strategy and annual plan will represent important tools in the management of the Faculty of Medicine over the coming years.
The vision and strategy point the way forward for the Faculty of Medicine and will guide the work concerning the faculty’s long-term goals. We want the strategy to create an identity and inspire staff and students at the faculty, while at the same time reflecting the organisation's values and social mission.
The vision is concrete and forward-looking - and should be easy to remember as a guide for all of us who work, study, research and teach at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo:
Outstanding knowledge for future health
The vision encompasses our work to disseminate, research and implement outstanding knowledge, with the aim of setting the premises for, influencing and managing health challenges with a forward-looking approach.
Main goal
The Faculty of Medicine has three main objectives:
- Education: The Faculty of Medicine shall offer outstanding health education for a sustainable society.
- Innovation and research: The Faculty of Medicine shall facilitate innovation and outstanding, relevant, and groundbreaking research.
- HR and organisation: The Faculty of Medicine shall further develop the work and expertise of the employees in a flexible organisation.
Education
The Faculty of Medicine shall offer outstanding health education for a sustainable society
We shall further develop the programmes of study in accordance with new knowledge and societal challenges
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Promote high-quality education and excellent teaching
- Strengthen the sustainability perspective in the educations
- Promote internationalisation and further develop global educational collaboration
- Utilise synergies between the different study programmes
- Further develop digital solutions and competence
- Increase diversity among students and employees
We shall ensure high-quality medical education and contribute to a good density of doctors at national level
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Work to increase the number of students taking medical studies
- Develop decentralised medical education with strong academic groups
- Develop and simplify programme descriptions and administrative procedures
- Ensure good HR and teaching resources, and good teaching facilities
- Prepare students to deal with uncertainty in the role of doctor
We shall develop and ensure outstanding bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes that focus on health and the health services
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Improve resource utilisation and increase quality across different study programmes
- Strengthen the education’s relevance to working life and contribute to social innovation
- Further develop international educational collaboration
We shall ensure good recruitment and high quality in organised researcher training
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Strengthen the training of supervisors for research education
- Boost the recruitment of younger researchers
- Ensure good training opportunities for researchers throughout the educational pathway, from the medical student research program, to the PhD and postdoctoral programmes.
- Prioritise international cooperation and develop our programmes in line with international standards
Innovation and research
The Faculty of Medicine shall facilitate innovation and outstanding, relevant, and groundbreaking research
We shall build and promote good development opportunities for innovation and research communities.
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Develop organised research training and strengthen academic supervision
- Improve research funding and find new sources of funding
- Stimulate the establishment of more and better research infrastructures
- Renew our criteria for assessing excellence
- Ensure freedom of research
We shall facilitate innovation, and research shall be relevant to the major societal challenges that we face
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Strengthen basic research, including as a basis for applied and translational research
- Provide stimulation so that innovation becomes an integral part of research
- Strengthen the sustainability perspective in research
- Promote local, national and international research collaboration at the faculty
We shall facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Stimulate interaction between research fields
- Solve complex issues by building on interdisciplinary expertise and stimulating transdisciplinary research
- Promote the integration of methods, data, perspectives, concepts, and theories from different research fields to create new and valuable knowledge
HR and organisation
The Faculty of Medicine shall further promote the work and expertise of the employees in a developing organisation
We shall be a unifying, inclusive and sustainable organisation
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Develop community culture
- Encourage the involvement of employees and students
- Promote clear communication and transparent processes
- Promote diversity and balance
- Promote sustainability goals and perspectives
- Practise visible leadership
- Develop common meeting places
- Develop premises that stimulate collaboration
We shall stimulate cooperation, flexibility and adaptability
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Stimulate good collaboration across units and levels at the university
- Stimulate regional, national and international collaboration
- Facilitate robust academic communities
- Promote flexibility and adaptability
- Are efficiently organised
- Continuously evaluate and improve the organisation
We shall be an attractive place for work and study
We will do this by ensuring that we
- Work to ensure a good study and working environment on all levels
- Have a visible and attractive profile
- Disseminate quality-assured knowledge to students, the research community and society around us
- Facilitate learning and competence development
- Promote good leadership
- Reduce the proportion of temporary employees
- Stimulate quality academic supervision at all levels