Riitta Möller
Senior lecturer/senior physician
About me
- I'm associate professor and senior lecturer at MEB as well as senior consultant at Department of Otolaryngology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge.
- I have worked clinically since 1985; since 2007 part time in parallel with education.
- After I started at KI, I have taught at the medical, speech therapist and dentistry programs. I have been director of studies and course director for ear, nose and throat course, student selected course (SVK) and teacher at center of advanced medical simulation (CAMST), and teacher and then a course leader on inter-professional higher education course at CKU Southwest.
- The last few years I have been responsible for scientific education and degree project course in medicine, which I've built from the beginning together with coordinator group. During this time I have focused exclusively on educational activities. I have also started a national network with those responsible for degree projects courses in medicine and a national network for leaders for science education in medicine.
- In 2009, I started studying evidence-based education, educational research and educational leadership taking courses e.g. Harvard and KI, and completed Masters degree in Medical Education in 2014, KI
- Education has become my passion! I am committed and ambitious, has developed courses, teaching methods, integrating learning activities and assessment methods for many years.
Academic leadership
Extensive experience of educational leadership, for example:
- Program Director, medical program, KI, 2013-
- Teacher representative at the Board of Education, KI 2012
- Director of undergraduate studies (GUA) at MEB 2010-2014
- Chair of scientific education committee 2010-2012 and course director for degree project in medicine 2010-2013
- Member in curriculum committee (programråd) 2010-2013
- Member of Reference Group (2010) and expert group for Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) that conducted the quality assessment of medical programs (2013) and member of the reference group for development of the quality evaluation system
- Chair and vice chair of the Swedish Phoniatric Association 2001-2006
- SPESAK (expert) in phoniatrics and a member of ENT Council for Stockholm City County Council 2005-2010
Important areas for me
Constant changes in the health care system also require changes in education of health care professionals. KI's vision needs to be made visible even in our educational activities in which important areas for me are:
- Scientific basis of all the programs need to be strengthened. We need a critical mass of teachers with dedicated time for research on all programs
- Systems perspective for examinations and quality monitoring on program level has to be developed. The goal on short term would be to ensure that every student will attain the national learning outcomes. The long term goal is that our students have high employability. To achieve these goals we need central support and appropriate IT structures for teachers.
- Collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council should be strengthened, to ensure the access to clinical training and enhance the quality of clinical education.
- Interprofessional education need to be developed.
- Career paths for teachers, especially for those in education-intensive areas / with extensive leadership; time for education and research.
Research description
My previous research has mainly been clinically within phoniatrics / laryngology with a total of over 30 publications and 3 are in manuscript form. The last 4 years when I together with coordinators built up the degree project course education has been entirely in focus. I have started three educational projects in which we are studying student learning during the degree project course, students’ learning environment and long-term results of the students' research projects. These projects have been funded by KI and Rosanders. In 2013, I started with a speech therapist at Karolinska a prospective study of swallowing disorders, which includes e.g. validation of a new questionnaire and health-related quality of life in patients of oropharyngeal dysphagia. I have been co-supervisor to 2 PhD students and member of dissertation board/opponent 4 times.
Teaching portfolio
Since I started at KI, I have mainly taught on the medical program, speech pathology program and study program of dentistry. I’ve been director of studies for the course in ear, nose and throat diseases, student selected course (SVK) and teacher at the center of advanced medical simulation (CAMST) Huddinge. During 2009-2010, I was a teacher and then a course leader for an interprofessional pedagogical course at CKU Southwest. I was Chair of scientific development committee 2010-2012. In 2010 I also started as course director for the degree project course on the medical program, which we together with coordinators have build from the beginning and that has been my entirely focus during the last years.
Education has become my passion wherefore I have dedicated my time to development of courses, teaching methods, integrating assignments and examination forms.
Education
- Medical Degree 1984, University of Tampere
- Specialist in otolaryngology 1991, University of Turku
- Specialist in Phoniatrics 1998
- Doctor of Medicine 2000, KI
- Post doc University of Utah, 2001
- Associate Professor 2007, KI
- IMEX (International Medical Educators Exchange) program 2008-2011
- Special competence in medical education, Finnish Medical Association, 2011
- Masters Degree in Medical Education in 2014, KI
Academic honours, awards and prizes
- Mäster, Medical Students’ Association's award 2008