University of Aarhus 2004
The Faculty of Health Sciences
Degree programmes
Medicine is the faculty’s largest degree programme with 365 annual enrolments. The new academic regulations have considerably strengthened the clinical elements of the degree programme, which now includes an early period of clinical training at a county hospital, as well as increased emphasis on developing the students’ clinical skills. In 2004, the faculty thus opened a new laboratory for proficiency testing at Skejby Hospital. There is also increased emphasis on giving the students further insight into scientific philosophy and working processes, including a major independent assignment involving in-depth work in one of the degree programme’s basic or clinical subjects.
The degree programme in Odontology has also undergone a number of changes in recent years, aimed at giving the students more independence. The option of enrolling for a year of research, as in the degree programme for medicine, was introduced to attract more students.
In addition, the faculty offers a number of two-year Master’s degree programmes: a Master of Science in Health Science, which targets individuals with a medium-term tertiary health degree; a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering, which was established in collaboration with the Engineering College of Aarhus, and targets students with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Medicine, or other relevant subjects; and finally, a Master of Science in Nursing, which was transferred to the faculty in 2001 from the School of Advanced Nursing Education.
The faculty offers two auxiliary Master’s degree programmes – a Master of Public Health and a Master of Clinical Nursing. In 2004, an application was submitted for a Master’s degree programme in Cardiovascular Technology aiming at international recruitment.
The faculty’s Unit for Medical Education works closely with the Regional Council for Continuing Medical Education regarding the educational aspects of the new degree programme for specialist doctors. One of the results of this collaboration in 2004 was the appointment of 33 post-graduates as clinical associate professors, as well as a professorship.
During the year, the faculty established formal agreements with a number of Danish Centres for Higher Education (CVU) and other medium-term centres of further education in the health sector to ensure their cooperation in research aspects of the degree programmes. The faculty has established a special working group to liaise with these centres. The work is particularly intensive in the nursing field.
Research
The Status and Plans 2002–2006 strategy and development plan of the Faculty of Health Sciences describes the research areas in which the faculty has a strong national and international reputation. This also lists a number of the faculty’s expectations to the areas it would like to strengthen during the coming years. As part of the overall strategy plan, details have been prepared for the creation of new positions and activities during the period. One of the major challenges facing the faculty is to ensure the recruitment of doctors for the basic sector, and dentists for the degree programme in Odontology in connection with the forthcoming change to a new generation of employees.
The faculty’s researcher education is based at the University of Aarhus Postgraduate School of Health Sciences. In addition, the faculty participates in a number of subject-specific graduate schools. In recent years, the faculty has focused on strengthening the quality of the courses offered in the degree programme.
Particularly motivated students have the option of a research year in which they carry out a project by writing a report and sitting an exam in the presence of an external examiner. This research year has generated considerable interest with approximately 20% of students in any year choosing to complete it.
Collaboration with the Aarhus University Hospital, which includes Aalborg Hospital and Aalborg Psychiatric Hospital, has been strengthened. A review followed by hearings to shed light on the status and development perspectives of a number of areas of specialisation were carried out in 2004.
Communication
In collaboration with the County of Aarhus and the County of North Jutland, the faculty published the report Health science research at the University of Aarhus and the Aarhus University Hospital 2003. This report describes the faculty’s institutes and clinical departments, and provides an overview of the health science research findings. In addition, the faculty and the county publish the magazine AUH – Research and Clinical Practice, which describes new advances in health science research of importance to the university hospital’s clinical practice.
Faculty staff frequently attend lectures and debates about health and disease at a large number of events held in different associations and organisations.
Facts for 2004
Students
New enrolments: 489
Number of students: 3,190
Number of PhD students: 322
Number of Masters: 389
Number of PhDs: 71
Staff (full-time equivalent)
Professors: 47
Associate professors: 129
Other academic staff: 192
Teaching assistants: 88
Technical and administrative staff: 496
Number of doctorates: 13
Number of research publications: 2,090
Total number of publications: 2,316
Institutes (as of 1 January 2005)
Institute of Anatomy
Institute of Clinical Medicine
Institute of Forensic Medicine
Institute of Human Genetics
Institute of Medical Biochemistry
Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Institute of Pharmacology
Institute of Physiology and Biophysics
Institute of Public Health
School of Dentistry
Research centres
Bioinformatics Research Centre
Centre for Arctic Environmental Medicine
Centre for Clinical Pharmacology
Centre for Functionally Integrated Neuroscience
Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Danish Allergy Research Centre
Danish Centre for Molecular Gerontology
Danish Epidemiology Science Centre
Nanoscience and Tissue Engineering
Water and Salt Research Centre
Degree subjects
Medicine
Odontology
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Master of Science in Health Science
Master of Science in Nursing
The Victor Albeck Building houses a modern health science library and an equally modern education centre.
