Olle Larkö thanks all employees at the Sahlgrenska Academy for their excellent efforts during the first half of the year. He also talks about AstraZeneca, AgeCap and what the autumn will bring.
“Thank you all for your amazing work during the past season. We’ve had a really high level of engagement in Reformklubben, where we’ve left no stone unturned and are currently processing the material. I believe that this has enhanced the levels of knowledge, understanding and influence over what we are dealing with.
As an element of our third task, to inform society about what we do, it is important that the Academy is involved in Almedalen. Our research into the elderly is being highlighted and I will be contributing at a number of seminars. Among other things, I would like to talk about Sweden’s lax attitude towards the further education of doctors. Our country is almost alone in the civilised world in not making any demands of doctors.
The AgeCap initiative means a great deal and is one of our very major flagships. Ingmar Skoog and others have adopted a holistic approach to ageing and have brought together many different parts of the research world.
The Sahlgrenska Academy continues to maintain a healthy collaboration with AstraZeneca. One new addition is a visiting professor in the field of inflammation. We are very keen that AstraZeneca remain in Sweden. This is important for research, for jobs and above all for patients.
This autumn will see an assessment of all ALF applications, which are an important part of our clinical research, as is the ALF agreement, which has not quite been completed. There is also an important discussion under way regarding the research infrastructure.
On the educational side, there are issues relating to inter-professional learning, about learning to collaborate. We are pleased to have extended the midwifery course, as well as certain specialist nurse options. We can develop this further, and when the Imaging & Intervention Centre is completed in a few years, we may actually need new occupational groups. There is a dialogue under way in this respect with the Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
We did have something of a setback with the Swedish Higher Education Authority. We are currently reviewing the whole medical training programme and are at the same time awaiting an updated medical training programme, although this issue is currently on hold at the Ministry.”
