Important discussions at the national deans’ meeting
All the participants during this years' national deans' meeting. Foto: Agneta Mattsson
How should the medical faculties continue to conduct research and education at the highest level? What is really happening to collegial governance at Swedish universities – and how is academic freedom being affected by the wider world? These were some of the questions discussed during the national medical deans’ meeting, in Uppsala.
Each year, the deans of Sweden’s seven medical faculties gather to discuss current issues and themes that in various ways impact their operations. This year, it was Uppsala University’s turn to host the event, which took place with great success at the University Main Building over the course of two intensive days.
“I am very pleased with the meeting, which brought together the leadership of the medical faculties. There is always an open and constructive atmosphere when we meet,” says Karin Forsberg Nilsson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Uppsala University.
The first day began with a presentation by Maria Nilsson, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, who shared the government’s perspective on how Sweden should remain competitive in an international research context. Jan Ellenberg, Director of SciLifeLab, then presented his vision of the organisation’s role in translational research. Following this, Madeleine Durbeej-Hjalt, Secretary General for Medicine and Health at the Swedish Research Council, discussed the state of medical research and research funding in the United States – and how it affects Swedish research.
The discussions and presentations focused, among other things, on the universities’ role in the transformation of healthcare towards precision medicine, the situation of medical research in a troubled global environment, and educational collaborations between universities.
The second day addressed topics such as collegiality as a model of governance and academic freedom. Pernilla Åsenlöf, Vice-Dean for the Faculty of Medicine, gave a presentation on the ongoing efforts to strengthen collegiality at the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, while Peter Stålberg, Vice-Dean for Research Traning, spoke about access to health data and how legislation can sometimes hinder the use of databases for research purposes.
“I believe we achieved a good balance of current topics – ranging from how global developments influence Swedish medical research and education to how we are working to develop our internal processes at the universities,” says Karin Forsberg Nilsson.
What are your takeaways from these two days?
“Our national collaboration between the medical faculties is essential, and face roughly the same challenges. By sharing experiences and acting together, we become a stronger voice.”
Robin Widing