MedH 2025 Strategy

The final MedH 2025 Strategy

Creating a united department

With our vision as a starting point, the strategy serves as a unifying document to lean on when building MedH:s future. By clarifying our vision and the overarching goals for us as a department, we move forward in one coherent direction.

Why do we need a strategy?

To succeed in such a complex reality as medical research and education, a strategic vision is necessary. We need a strategy to transform challenges into actions and it serves as a transparent framework against which all activities and decisions can be measured. It also provides us with common goals and identifies ways to reach them. Furthermore, a strategy also enables a unifying department process, promoting inclusion and influence.

One of our department’s key challenges is the continuous recruitment of top co-workers at all levels. This requires stable finances over time, secured by strong research groups that can attract larger grants. Supporting new research constellations and facilitating a top work environment, are prime focus areas for the department administration.

Capitalizing on our strong clinical base, we must seek to improve collaborations between clinical and preclinical research groups. We also need to emphasize the importance of our medical education to keep up the high level and to ensure continuous success. Bringing our students and scientists together will facilitate excellent science, education, and health care.

Background

The leadership group adopted the concept of a strategy for the department in 2020. Since then, a strategy has been developed through a broad process within the department, in close dialogue with the six MedH units and with representatives from the department administration. The MedH 2025 Strategy is the result of this process and it outlines a strategic plan for the department for the coming years.

Opportunities and challenges

MedH is a department with several strengths. With competent and experienced leadership and high-quality administrative support, we conduct strong translational research. Overall, there is good access to well-structured core facilities, clinical material and modern laboratories for basic and clinical research. Furthermore, the department is financially stable with well-functioning educational programmes and doctoral training. But MedH is a large department with units scattered over the KI South Campus, with few interactions between research groups in different units.

The department’s economy is dominated by external grants, few positions are oriented towards teaching and the pedagogical aspects are not sufficiently considered in recruitments. Clinical research is challenged by changes in health care policies, affecting principles for patient care. We need to make sure research groups can secure long-term financing, and we must offer younger scientists enough career positions to encourage them to stay within the department. To achieve all this, a sustainable and healthy work environment for all MedH co-workers and students is necessary.

Our overarching goals

Based on the outcome of the focus group discussions, three overarching goals have been
identified to lead the way for MedH:s actions for the coming four years. 

Focus areas and activities

To implement the strategy and reach our overarching goals, we have identified five areas of focus with examples of activities to support us in the work ahead.

Mentoring programs for successful  career development

Career programs for clinical and preclinical scientists and support staff, including, but not limited to, bio-informaticians and core facility managers, will be developed to create a transparent roadmap for career development.

Departmental platforms for scientific and social activities

Meetings for scientific exchange, department mingles and network opportunities, will be arranged to stimulate the formation of new research constellations and to promote a good work environment.

Development of all co-workers in a sustainable work environment

We will stimulate co-worker initiated activities, offer continuous in-service training and develop improved introduction programs for co-workers.

Improved communication and international collaboration

We will engage in a proactive outreach program for grants with the goal of also launching a guest professor program. We will also create a communication task force around the Communications officer, and promote international exchange by marketing MedH as an attractive department for research and education.

Scientists in education and students in research

We will announce lectureships with educational tasks and make our education more visible internally, whilst securing proper academic positions for our teachers. We will also intensify the recruitment of medical students to research projects and engage scientists as teachers.

Summarizing comment

Creating a strategy has been an inspiring activity, itself promoting a feeling of belonging to a unified and caringdepartmental structure. The process has been a bottom-up activity, hopefully securing good adherence to the strategic goals and actions as we proceed towards 2025. To identify measurable outcomes from the implementation of the strategy and to assure success, we will need to take important steps along the way. The MedH 2025 Strategy is the first stop on an exciting and important journey towards our vision.

MedH 2025 Strategy documents, log in required