Chairperson of the Academic Council: "Here are five issues we need to address"
In February 2024, Søren Dinesen Østergaard became the chairperson of the Academic Council at the Faculty of Health. He has high hopes that the council can improve the study and working conditions for both students and staff, with five key points in particular catching his attention.
Søren Dinesen Østergaard is a professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine and head of the research unit at the Department of Affective Disorders at Aarhus University Hospital. As a relatively new chairperson of the Academic Council at Health, he leads a key body that advises the Dean’s Office on research, education, and collaboration. This role carries a significant responsibility.
"I see my new role as a unique opportunity, together with the rest of the council, to make concrete improvements in the study and working conditions of students and staff. Having been an ordinary member of the council for several years, I have clear ideas about the issues and challenges where we can contribute positively," says Søren Dinesen Østergaard.
He presents five points that he wants the council to focus on:
About the Academic Council at Health
- The Academic Council is an advisory body. It advises the dean on research, education, and collaboration and helps shape the direction of the faculty.
- The council also advises the dean on strategic matters, the faculty’s budget and budget principles, strategic research and educational areas, knowledge exchange plans, and the quality assurance and development of the faculty’s research environment, PhD programs, and research-based teaching.
- The council appoints hiring committees for the recruitment of associate professors and professors and awards PhDs and doctoral degrees.
- The Academic Council typically meets six times a year.
- Representatives from Health’s five institutes, technical-administrative staff, PhD students, and other students sit on the council.
- Learn more about the Academic Council on Health’s employee website. You can also find a list of council members. In the article "We're basically working for an even better university" from Inside Health, you can read more about the council’s purpose.
1. Clear career paths for young researchers
There is a significant need to create clear career paths, especially for postdocs and assistant professors, who often experience a high degree of uncertainty due to temporary positions. Aarhus University and Health must continue to serve as a strong stepping stone for young talent. It is important to create a transparent process that helps young researchers find their way, both inside and outside the academic world.
2. Better authorship practices
In some research environments, authorship practices can drift to the point where they are, to say the least, on the edge of acceptable international standards. Health is not immune to this, particularly in research consortia where authorship allocation sometimes becomes automated to the point where fairness is lost. This needs to be addressed - especially for the sake of younger researchers - so they are not, more or less, forced into questionable authorship practices.
3. Unnecessary bureaucracy should not hinder research
There is reason to be concerned about the growing bureaucratic burden, for example, with the introduction of GDPR, which can delay and limit research, particularly in the clinical field. There is no doubt that there must be high standards for data protection, but security levels can become so high that important research cannot be conducted. The faculty and the university must work to influence the relevant authorities to strike the right balance, to the society’s best interest.
4. Industry collaboration requires increased attention
Collaboration with private actors, including the pharmaceutical industry, is necessary and beneficial for maintaining high-level medical research. However, it is particularly important in these partnerships to safeguard the university's integrity and credibility. We must ensure that this research continues to be transparent and, above all, conducted in the interests of patients and society.
5. Social media and well-being
Finally, I want to challenge the university's and the faculty's use of social media, even though it is obviously based on good intentions. It is difficult to establish causal relationships regarding the effects of social media, but as I read the research and observe society, the net effect seems to be negative - especially when it comes to well-being and self-confidence. This is likely driven by what is known as "negative social comparison." Many young researchers - and also many of our students – occasionally struggle with reduced well-being and self-confidence. This means that the university and the faculty should set good examples and be very cautious with their use of social media. Personally, I wouldn't mind if they stopped using them altogether. That would be a bold move.
Learn more about the Academic Council
Going forward, after each meeting of the Academic Council, Inside Health will publish a short article titled "Two Sides of the Same Coin," written by Søren Dinesen Østergaard. These articles will highlight a topic discussed at the most recent meeting, aiming to make the work of the Academic Council more visible and accessible to the faculty’s staff and students.
Contact
Professor and Chairperson of the Academic Council at Health Søren Dinesen Østergaard
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Department of Affective Disorders
Email: sdo@clin.au.dk