AWARD. Camilla Hesse, a lecturer in the Department of Clinical Chemistry and Transfusion Medicine, has been chosen as the first recipient of a new award recognizing internationalization of teaching and learning at medical faculties in Sweden. The decision to give her the award was made at the national gathering of university deans in Uppsala, Sweden, held recently.
“Internationalization has so many benefits, and opens so many doors! When you travel somewhere else, you are subjected to influences that can have an immediate effect on your day-to-day work, such as realizing that it is possible to carry out certain laboratory tasks in a different way than you would usually do,” says Camilla Hesse, who is chief coordinator of the biomedical analyst program, continuing:
“Winning the award is great news not only for me, but also for our program. We work strategically when it comes to internationalization, and that has delivered results. Among other things, we chose to end certain non-active exchanges, and instead focused on a few select partnerships that were really delivering.
Camilla Hesse is receiving the award in recognition of her goal-oriented approach to internationalization work. According to the explanatory statement, the amount of international exchange has increased both among teachers and students as a result of Camilla’s enthusiasm. The explanatory statement for the award also pointed to her skillful and personal style of leadership, which has resulted in internationalization becoming an integral part of the teaching process. One of the program’s initiatives is to combine interprofessionality with internationalization, done by allowing BMA students and prospective dietitians to go off together and work on the same project.
The explanatory statement for the award also pointed out that the internationalization work on the biomedical analyst program was a major factor contributing to innovative changes to the program’s structure and teaching methods, and that the program has set an example for training courses at the faculty.
A European Master’s Program
Many BMA students from other countries are keen to spend a period of time in Gothenburg. Every year, around 15 foreign students are accepted on to the program, which is a lot for a program that enrolls a total of 60 students per year. One of Camilla Hesse’s goals is to increase the opportunities available to students specializing in clinical physiology who wish to travel and live elsewhere during their program. Another goal is to better balance the number of incoming and outgoing students. Camilla is also keen for the entire environment to be internationalized more via more exchanges in research.
A new European Master’s program for biomedical laboratory students, known as MARBLE, and in which Camilla is one of the driving forces, will hopefully be launched soon. The Master’s program is a joint initiative and will involve collaboration between four different sites of learning across Europe.
“We have applied for EU funding which, since it would mean grants are available, should help students from outside of Europe to apply for the Master’s program. The process of setting up a Master’s program takes a different form depending on which country you are in, and is a bit more complicated in, for example, Austria, but we hope to get underway next fall,” says Camilla, who, as the award recipient, has been awarded SEK 105,000 to be invested in internationalization.
National Visibility
The official name of the award is the “Prize for Internationalization of Teaching and Learning at the Swedish Medical Faculties”, and is a joint initiative by all the medical faculties across Sweden. One aim of the award is to increase the visibility of the creative initiatives making internationalization possible at Sweden’s medical faculties. Fourteen candidates from five different faculties were shortlisted for this year’s inaugural award.
Annelie Hyllner, international coordinator at the Sahlgrenska Academy, thinks that the award is important when it comes to recognizing the internationalization work being done within health sciences:
“Camilla winning the inaugural award is great publicity for the Sahlgrenska Academy’s excellent internationalization work and makes it visible on the national stage. I’m really happy that Camilla is receiving this recognition after working for so many years and achieving such good results. The Sahlgrenska Academy can feel proud to have won the very first award,” Annelie Hyllner, before continuing:
“Internationalization work requires a clear vision and an ability to spot opportunities. Improving quality and preparing students for working in an international environment are what motivates people to dedicate themselves to the work. This award is recognition of these initiatives.”
TEXT AND PHOTO: ELIN LINDSTRÖM CLAESSEN
