INSTITUTE MANAGEMENT. On June 1 Sven Enerbäck will become the new head of the Institute of Biomedicine. The new deputy head of the institute, Marianne Quiding-Järbrink, had already assumed her position on April 1. In an interview with Akademiliv, the new management duo note that they are taking over the management of a very well-run institute. Several colleagues passed the word to both Marianne and Sven that they would like…
New quality assurance officer to support quality assurance procedures
QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCEDURES. Several of Sahlgrenska Academy’s programs have now made a great deal of progress with the new quality assurance procedures, which means that the university itself is assuming more responsibility for the quality assurance of its programs. To support this effort, a special quality assurance officer has been hired for placement in the Academy Office’s Education Department. The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) has essentially delegated the day-to-day…
Inequalities in dental health are most evident in young children
DOCTORAL THESIS. Inequalities in dental health are most evident in 3 to 6-year-old children, according to a thesis at Sahlgrenska Academy. Preschoolers in socioeconomically disadvantaged families had a more than four times higher risk of tooth decay compared to age cohorts with better living conditions. “We shouldn’t forget that most kids have healthy teeth, but there is a minor group of children who we see at the dental clinic repeatedly,…
Fredrik Sterky has synapses on his mind
YOUNG RESEARCHERS. Fredrik Sterky is home in Gothenburg again after postgraduate studies in Stockholm and a postdoc at Stanford. He is a resident physician in clinical chemistry, with a research interest in the connections among nerve cells in the brain. He has research time in the Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine (WCMTM) and was recently one of the few young researchers in Gothenburg who received establishment support in…
Jimmie Åkesson, Chair for the political party Sverigedemokraterna, visited Sahlgrenska Academy
INTER-ACTION. During the election year 2018, health care and related education is expected to be a key issue. Recently, Sahlgrenska Academy was visited by the chair of the political party Sverigedemokraterna (The Swedish Democrats), who asked to come in order to get to know more about the challenges we face within the medical and nursing programs. The University of Gothenburg’s basic principle of being open to the outside world means that parties that are…
Senior researcher grants from the Swedish Cancer Society to Eva Angenete and Fredrik Bergh Thoren
GRANTS. Eva Angenete, a researcher in cancer surgery, and Fredrik Bergh Thoren, who is conducting research in immunotherapy for cancer, have recently been notified that they are receiving several years of funding from the Swedish Cancer Society. The fundraising organization has chosen to give them the Senior Clinical Investigator Award and Senior Investigator Award respectively. Eva Angenete, an associate professor of surgery at the Institute of Clinical Sciences and chief…
Mats Brännström – Wallenberg Clinical Scholars 2018
GRANT. Mats Brännström, chief physicians and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is one out of four Wallenberg Clinical Scholars 2018. Mats Brännström leads a revolutionary project for uterus transplantation, through which a total of eight children have been born. He is now working to minimize the duration of the surgical procedure, counteract rejection of the uterus and to conduct long-term follow-ups of all those involved.…
High rating from the Swedish Research Council on clinical research in Västra Götaland
RESEARCH CONDITIONS. Today the Swedish Research Council submitted to the Government its evaluation of clinical research at the county councils and universities covered by the ALF agreement. In general the evaluation rates Västra Götaland highly, with it receiving the highest rating in two of the three categories evaluated. Through the ALF system, the Government provides funds to the county council as compensation for the internship needed for basic education of…
Sahlgrenska Academy establishes new council for research ethics
RESEARCH CONDITIONS. The Faculty Board has decided to create a new council with a focus on research ethics. The council will begin work on July 1 and will be chaired by Björn Rydevik. The new council is being established after a long period of preparation. The Faculty Board decided to create the council at the board’s March 21 meeting. The council is being established in response to developments taking place…
Extended until April 10 – nominate Honorary Doctors 2018
HONORARY DOCTOR. All staff at Sahlgrenska Academy may nominate honorary doctorates. The appointments are evidence of the faculty’s appreciation, and a way to strengthen our national and international network of contacts. The deadline for nominations has been extended – new deadline is April 10, 2018. The Sahlgrenska Academy Board decides on who will be appointed Honorary Doctor in 2018. Many of our honorary doctorates are appointed because of their direct importance to research or…
Relationship changes after bariatric surgery
NEW STUDY. Individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery have a higher probability of getting married, separating from their partner or getting divorced, according to a Swedish study published in JAMA Surgery. “We have previously studied the medical benefits of bariatric surgery, but this new study shows that other more personal aspects of the patient’s life may also change after bariatric surgery”, says Per-Arne Svensson, Associate Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy. Previous…
Large-scale genetic study provides new insight into the causes of stroke
NEW STUDY. An international research consortium studying 520,000 individuals from around the world has identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke, thus tripling the number of gene regions known to affect stroke risk. “A first step towards developing more personalized treatments”, says co-author Christina Jern, Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy. The results demonstrate shared genetic influences with multiple related vascular conditions, especially blood pressure, but also coronary artery disease, venous…
A low-carbohydrate diet can be an effective treatment for fatty liver disease
NEW STUDY. New information on how a low-carbohydrate diet improves metabolism has been published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The findings could lead to improved treatments of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. “We discovered that the diet, independent of weight loss, led to rapid and dramatic decreases in liver fat and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and we also revealed previously unknown underlying molecular mechanisms,” says Jan Borén, professor of molecular…
A research achievement with teeth in it
EMERITUS. Thanks to the methodology for treating periodontal disease that he and his colleagues developed, people all over the world were able to keep their teeth. Jan Lindhe has devoted half a century to the study of periodontology and is still active as a researcher and international expert. “A day will come when we all bite gently into the bread.” Thus wrote Ivar-Lo Johansson in the 1952 book Ålderdoms-Sverige (The…
Splitting blood vessels offers new hope for old idea in cancer research
RESEARCH. Previous attempts to stop tumours from gaining access to new blood vessels have not been successful. But what if the blood vessels not only expand by branching out, but also by splitting lengthwise? The idea breathes new life into a 50-year-old idea in cancer research and offers hope of a better treatment for malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of cancer. Tumours need blood just as our organs do. As…
Obesity surgery prevents severe chronic kidney disease and kidney failure
NEW STUDY. Patients that underwent weight-loss surgery ran a significantly lower risk of developing severe chronic kidney disease and kidney failure, when compared to conventionally treated patients, according to a study published in International Journal of Obesity. Obesity is a dangerous condition and goes hand in hand with elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, which in turn may lead to complications such as chronic kidney disease. Obesity…
General information in Swedish about GDPR – on April 24, May 3 and May 7
TRAINING. The General Data Protection Regulation will be enforced by the end of May. Before this, in the middle of April, a basic information package for all employees about the new regulation will be published. The project group are also arranging several information meetings in Swedish about GDPR: Tuesday April 24, 13.00-14.30, Wallenbergssalen, Konferenscenter Wallenberg, Medicinaregatan 20 A Thursday May 3, 9.00-10.30, Lindgrensalen (A302), Artisten, Fågelsången 1 Monday May 7,…
Clear link between fitness in middle age and risk of dementia
NEW STUDY. Women who have a high cardiovascular fitness in middle age have a risk of developing dementia when older that is almost 90 percent lower than among women in average physical condition, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. “This shows that we can affect our risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease”, says Ingmar Skoog, professor of psychiatry at Sahlgrenska Academy and director of AgeCap, Centre for…
The advisory Pro-Dean election – a majority voted for Henrik Hagberg
FACULTY ELECTION. A large majority of the valid votes, more than 82 percent, were cast for the Nomination Committee’s candidate for the assignment as Pro-Dean, Henrik Hagberg. The voter turnout was on par with earlier Pro-Dean elections – almost 43 percent. 1,223 people were eligible to vote, of which 523 casted valid votes, resulting in an election turnout of 42.76 percent. 430 of these votes were cast on Henrik Hagberg. Ten eligible voters proposed their own candidates for the assignment.…
Fruitful meeting when the Ministry of Education and Research visited Sahlgrenska Academy
EDUCATION. As part of the inquiry into the specialist nursing program being conducted by commission of the government, Special Inquirer Kenth Nauclér and his colleagues are making site visits at some selected higher education institutions. For two days last week, Sahlgrenska Academy was visited, and the inquiry team was impressed by the good collaboration between higher education institutions and the health care system in the region. The visit to Sahlgrenska…