National Global Health Network Officially Opens

Global Health Norway, a national network for research, education and capacity strengthening in Global Health is officially open. Leaders from across Norway attended an Opening Seminar at the University Aula, University of Bergen (UiB).

WATCH THE OPENING: Link to video.

The new Global Health Norway Network is a collaboration between the major Norwegian institutions in the educational, hospital and research institute sectors that are involved in Global Health activities, including research, education and capacity strengthening. Read more about the network.  

Global Health Norway builds on the decade-long collaboration between several of Norway’s academic institutions (the Norwegian Forum for Global Health Research). This collaboration has expanded to include the various Norwegian regional Health Authorities, and a number of Norwegian hospitals – many of whom have extensive Global Health activity. In addition, the new network will also include a number of National Institutes, which are also engaged in Global Health activity. Learn more about Global Health Norway’s partners and Board.  

UiB Priority Area

In his Welcome Address, UiB Rector, Dag Rune Olsen, underlined that Global Health is an important part of one of UiB’s 3 Priority Areas. UiB’s support for this activity also fulfills the university’s activity within the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where health features in a number of the goals.  

Opening seminar

Professor Nina Langeland (previous Dean of Medicine, UiB) and Director Camilla Stoltenberg (Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH)) also gave Welcome Addresses. All 3 leaders underlined that having a national network will strengthen the funding potential for Norwegian Global Health projects nationally and especially, internationally.   

The Chief Executive of the Research Council of Norway, John-Arne Røttingen, also underlined the potential competitive edge the network will give future cross-institution project applications both nationally and internationally.

Renowned Global Health researcher, Professor Thorkild Tylleskär (UiB), highlighted his own research focus on mother and child health in low- and middle-income countries. He said that working together as a network across sectors and institutions will strengthen today’s efforts to reduce child mortality in these countries.  

The Opening Seminar included presentations from the activities of a number of Global Health Norway network partners including

·         The Norwegian Research School of Global Health (based at the University of Trondheim)

·         The Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo

·         The Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), a Centre of Excellence

·         Strategy work on Global Health at Stavanger University Hospital

·         Global Health in Tromsø, University of Tromsø

·         Massive Open Online Course for developing countries. CIH, UiB  

The Seminar wrapped up with a discussion of the role and future directions for the new, national Global Health network.

Camillastoltenberg1
Camilla Stoltenberg, Director General, NIPH
Photo by: Kim Andreassen