HELSAM encompasses all the major academic traditions at the University of Oslo, with strong academic communities in general practice, public health science, interdisciplinary health science, health management and health economics, medical ethics, community medicine, global health and sustainable health.
HELSAM shall:
- Conduct independent, groundbreaking and long-term basic and applied research that promotes health and sustainable health services and public health work nationally and globally
- Educate students with the knowledge, ability and willingness to contribute to better and more sustainable health services and society, both nationally and globally
- Strengthen dialogue with the health service and society at large, and work to ensure that knowledge is put into use
- Be an attractive place to work and study
The health service and society face major challenges: an ageing population, resource scarcity, climate and environmental crises, and social inequality. This requires new thinking, research-based solutions and education tailored to the challenges of the future. HELSAM’s role is to educate highly qualified students, conduct basic and applied research, and ensure that the knowledge we generate benefits services and society.
HELSAM’s financial situation means that we must make necessary priorities to improve the institute’s finances and room for manoeuvre. This will be done in a sound and transparent manner, whilst safeguarding the institute’s academic
1 Research and Innovation
HELSAM shall conduct independent, groundbreaking and long-term basic and applied research that promotes health and sustainable health services and public health work nationally and globally.
HELSAM shall leverage our broad approaches to health and society at various levels, and our interdisciplinarity, spanning medical and other health sciences as well as humanities and social sciences.
HELSAM shall:
- Develop high-quality knowledge, methods and research infrastructure, and make use of data and new technology in innovative and responsible ways
- Further develop disciplinary depth, interdisciplinarity and research collaboration across the institute, nationally and internationally
- Explore the needs of users in a broad sense, as well as under-prioritised topics, services and groups
- Identify and strengthen research-driven innovation at the institute
- Secure sustainable funding for research and innovation through high-quality funding applications – including for long-term funding of excellent academic communities – and through effective and sound implementation and further use of results
- Further develop our role as a knowledge actor and our academic communities of national importance with clear public mandates
- Strengthen areas where the institute has strategic advantages and leading expertise globally and nationally
- Remain relevant where society and public administration have particular needs for knowledge development, whilst also safeguarding the need for long-term research
- Safeguard and further develop user involvement, research ethics, integrity, openness and sharing, as well as preparedness
- Strengthen interaction and synergies between research and education at HELSAM
2 Education
HELSAM shall educate students with the knowledge, ability and willingness to contribute to better and more sustainable health services and society, both nationally and globally.
HELSAM shall educate graduates who can analyse and address complex issues in medicine and health sciences, the health service and public health work, and who can manage uncertainty and contribute to evidence-based decisions.
HELSAM shall:
- Offer research-based and pedagogically innovative teaching of high international standard across all our study programmes
- Educate students who combine professional competence with social responsibility and actively contribute to the green transition
- Ensure inclusion and diversity among students and teaching staff, through systematic work against all forms of racism and discrimination
- Further develop the societal relevance of our educational programmes and offer research-based and flexible continuing and further education
- Work to ensure that HELSAM’s subjects are visible in the institute’s study portfolio and in the medical degree programme
- Strengthen the role of primary health care in the educational programmes and enhance students’ ability to make sound decisions when encountering an unselected patient population and in public health work
- Strengthen recruitment to HELSAM’s subjects in the research track of the medical degree programme
- Continuously evaluate the bachelor’s and master’s portfolio and further develop our study programmes to become among the most attractive in Norway
- Ensure sound learning pathways and high completion rates across all our study programmes
- Strengthen international mobility and collaboration for all our students
3 Dissemination, Public Engagement, Sharing and Use of Knowledge
HELSAM shall strengthen dialogue with the health service and society at large, and work to ensure that knowledge is put into use.
HELSAM shall engage in dissemination that promotes health, sustainable health services and public health work nationally and globally. Our contribution shall leverage and further develop our broad connections with various parts of the health service, public health work, health administration and society. We shall ensure the sharing and use of HELSAM’s knowledge, and ensure that we receive important knowledge and experience from the outside world.
HELSAM shall:
- Ensure that the expertise of all departments is made visible and that high-quality knowledge within our subject areas is put to use – including by strengthening competence in implementation and preparedness internally and externally, and by contributing to public inquiries
- Contribute to evidence-based public education, public debate and critical discussions within our subject areas, be visible in public discourse across various channels, and be accessible to the media and others who require our expertise
- Further develop and make visible the values of the university, safeguard academic freedom, and strengthen a culture of openness and sharing
- Further develop formal and informal networks globally and nationally, including collaboration with municipalities
- Ensure that HELSAM’s education and research respond to the needs of users, society and the future – including by establishing a user panel for the institute
- Develop and improve user-friendly websites and other digital resources
4 Organisation
HELSAM shall be an attractive place to work and study.
If we are to succeed in our public mission, we must have financial room for manoeuvre and a developing organisation that creates an attractive place to study and a good place to be employed.
HELSAM shall:
- Achieve a sustainable economy and efficient operations across all our activities, in order to create room for manoeuvre for the strategy’s goals
- Ensure good and equitable administrative support functions locally and centrally
- Promote a safe and inclusive working and study environment free from discrimination
- Facilitate an organisation in which students and staff are given the opportunity to fulfil their potential for professional and academic development
- Equip staff and students to make use of new technology and adapt to changes in society and working life
- Offer doctoral education, supervision, and talent and career development of high quality
- Reduce the use of temporary contracts and work to provide staff on temporary contracts with greater predictability
- Further develop the institute’s senior staff policy
- Identify and make use of sound quality indicators for HELSAM’s activities
- Ensure transparent and sustainable management of externally funded projects and internally funded activities – including by further developing the internal allocation model and budgeting
- Work towards co-location and strengthen collaboration, shared culture and synergies across HELSAM
- Further develop collaboration with the decentralised campuses, and with the university as a whole