Professorat Global Helse

NTNU has the vision; Knowledge for a better world with a pronounced goal, 40% of the students at the university shall participate during some part of their studies in a foreign setting and academic environment. The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has the vision; Health for a better world and one goal is that global health shall be taught in all educational programs. Furthermore, knowledge about people’s health, considering their country of origin must be present in all health services. In September 2013 the first professor in global health was employed at NTNU, Elisabeth Darj, affiliated to the Department of Public Health and Nursing at NTNU and to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Olavs Hospital. Global Health Day Every year a ‘Global Health Day’ is held in October, for students, teachers and health personnel at the hospital. International and national scholars are invited two topics are in focus each year. Antibiotic resistance and Migration Health were the chosen themes 2016. This event has received considerable media attention and reaches now between 300-400 delegates, from Norway and neighboring countries. Medical students arrange an evening event before Global Health Day, in order to promote the importance of global health issues for healthcare students. Global health seminars Every month since 2014, we arrange global health seminars, where students, researchers and PhD candidates present their research, methodology and results. These seminars have developed into a forum for discussions of global health projects also for St Olavs health providers. International Master Program in global health In August 2015 a two-year international Master’s program started in Public Health with specialization in Global Health 500 applied for the program the first year, and 25 students were admitted. Theoretical courses are held in the first year. The following year is allocated for the master thesis. http://www.ntnu.edu/web/master-of-science-in-public-health-msph- Norwegian Research School of Global Health The Faculty of Medicine and Health Science applied together with the universities in Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø and Institute of Public Health and received funds for establishing a national research school in global health. This school started in April 2016. Currently 80 PhD candidates are members of the school. http://www.ntnu.edu/nrsgh/ Global health education Global health is a recurring subject during the medical education, connecting clinical practice to the situation in other countries. Students participate in practice or perform their theses of medicine (hovedoppgave) in a low income setting. A summer school for medical students is established in Nepal. Likewise is global health a mandatory course at the Nursing school. NTNU has lately been hosting national events; Vision2030, visits at various occasions by Crown princess Mette-Marit, Tore Godal and Sir Michael Marmot, who became Honorary Doctor at NTNU this year, all met professor Darj. Strategically collaboration countries The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has strategically chosen five low income countries for collaboration; Nepal, Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and South Africa. This has facilitated networking and capacity building in these universities, apart from ongoing individual research contacts in other countries. Students at different levels, such as PhD-, Master-, medical- , nursing-, and students in physiotherapy and other disciplines as well as health care employees are all benefiting from these formal collaborations.

A two-year International Master Program within Public Health with specialization in Global Health started in August 2015. 500 students from all continents applied and 25 were admitted. The program is divided in seven different courses, with focus on specific thematic courses 30 ECTS, research methods 30 ECTS and Master thesis 60 ECTS. The running courses are Global Health (15 credits), Qualitative Research Methods (7,5 credits), Epidemiology (7,5 credits), Statistics (7,5 credits), Experts in Team working (7,5 credits), Health Managements (7,5 credits), Innovation in Global Health (7,5 credits). The program has been well received. Strengthening the research has been through employing PhD students into Global health. The Faculty of Medicine has now several PhD students coming from foreign countries to NTNU and Norwegian students studying and collecting data in foreign countries. I am the main supervisor of two two PhD students studying Violence against pregnant women in Nepal and Post abortion care in an intervention training program in Malawi. More PhD students are applying for funding under my supervision. Further I am responsible for all Master students thesis and I supervisor three students, going to Tanzania, Nepal and Canada for their data collection. We provide a Global Health Seminar every months, where we discuss ongoing projects and progresses. An annual Global Health Day is held in October, supported by Samarbeidsorganet HMN-NTNU, the Research Council of Norway, St Olavs Hospital and NTNU. The interest for this event has increased largely and last year we had 350 participants in the audience, and skilled international lecturers. Networks and new projects have been developed during these days. The Faculty of Medicine has signed Memorandum of Understanding with five prioritized countries and I have been facilitating collaboration primarily between NTNU, Tanzania and Nepal, where I have existing networks. I use both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and teach this in Master class, for medical students doing their thesis and for individual PhD students. During 2013 - 2015 I have published 14 papers (7 from Uppsala University in 2013 before the start at NTNU, 7 from NTNU, 2 publications in 2016, 6 manuscripts are submitted for publication and 3 are in manuscripts). Furthermore I am part of several committees at institutional, university and national level in Global Health. There has been a huge interest in Global Health from media and for public lectures on women's health, global health, research in low income countries etcetera. I have also participated and contributed in national and international congresses and conferences. Quite a lot of time has been spent of applications for funding for new research projects. The integration between NTNU and St Olavs Hospital has resulted in that I am the Head of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, I review all project applications to the clinic, together with an advisory board, I arrange research seminars and I give lectures at the clinic.