Forum for Nordic Dermato-Venereology Nr1,2019 | Page 7

Dermato-Venereology in the Nordic Countries A Vision of Academic Dermato-Venereology in Örebro, Sweden M agnus L indberg Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Örebro, SE-701 85 Örebro, Sweden. E-mail: magnus. [email protected] T he history of Örebro as a town goes back at least to the 12 th century. The hospital in Örebro also has a history going back several hundred years. The department of derma- tology-venereology was founded around 1950 and serves the county and region of Örebro. Approximately 15 years ago the hospital changed its name to Örebro University Hospital indicating an increased focus on education and research. was adapted to the Bologna model, with one scientific project during semester 5–6 with a focus on the Bachelor’s degree, and one during semester 10 with a focus on the Master’s degree. The programme outline comprises 6 themes and 4 stages. There are no specific disciplines; these are incorporat- ed into one of the 6 themes, with a mix of pre-clinical and clinical disciplines (Fig. 1). The programme includes more biochemistry at the start, more clinical studies later on, and As a university city, however, Örebro is young. The univer- professional development throughout. Dermatology-venereol- sity was established as recently as 1999. At that time there ogy is part of theme “Defence”, together with inflammation, was no medical school. Medicine (including dermatology) immunology, microbiology, basic tumour biology, infectious as an academic subject functioned as a medical faculty (set diseases, rheumatology, immune-mediated up in 2001) within the framework of the diseases, and relevant pharmacology. The School of Health and Medicine. After 3 theme Defence is represented across all The goal during recent years applications by the university, in 2010 4 stages. This entails contact with the has been to transform the dermatology the government granted permission for a clinic into a clinic with a more academic students throughout their whole study medical school to be set up and students way of thinking and to interest younger period (11 terms), and implies close to be examined for the medical degree. colleagues and students to start research collaboration between the disciplines The first medical students were admitted in teaching, increasing the possibility of in the field of dermatology- in 2011. research collaboration within the School venereology. of Medical Sciences. During the first 5 years, the focus of the programme was on building and consolidating the structure High-quality academic work in the field of venereology has and quality of teaching at the medical school, rather than on been performed previously in the dermatology department. research. Today the medical school is part of the School of This has resulted in 2 PhD thesis in dermatology-venereology, Medical Sciences, which was formed 2 years ago (1). This has the first by Harald Moi, now Professor Emeritus in Oslo, in led to stronger integration of education and research, and a 1990 (2), and the second by Lars Falk, now Associate Professor more academic approach. in Linköping, in 2004 (3). However, they were PhD registrars in ” From its inception, the programme for the School of Medicine Stage IV: Medical deepening; complex medical problems, emergency medicine Stage III: Diagnostics, therapy, prevention Stage II: Health and disease Stage I: Organ, cell, and molecule Fig. 1. Outline of the stages in the medical programme. All 6 themes are involved in all stages (Respiration and circulation; Neurology and loco- motion; Nutrition, metabolism and elimination; Defense; Reproduction and development and Sense and mind). Forum for Nord Derm Ven 2019, Vol. 24, No. 1 Uppsala and Linköping Universities, respectively, at the time. The first PhD thesis presented in dermatology-venereology from Örebro University was performed by Anna Josefson, senior consultant at the dermatology department, in 2010 (4). The main tutor was engaged part-time at the university especially for this thesis. The work was a continuation and follow-up of hand eczema and nickel allergy studies that had begun in 1980 by Birgitta Stymne and Lena Widström, both senior consultants at the clinic at that time. In 2013. senior consultant Maria Palmetun Ekbäck presented her thesis on aspects of quality of life in hirsutism (5). This was the first thesis for which the main tutor was active at the clinic. The concept of academic dermato-venereology in Örebro in a wider sense can be said to have begun in 2007, when the 5