Column: Share your knowledge
There is a sentence in the Danish University Act that does not always receive the same attention as research and research-based education. It states that “the university must exchange knowledge with wider society and encourage staff to participate in public debate.”
"From the Dean’s Desk" – a column in Inside Health
Shortly after a meeting in the Academic Council at which we talked about involvement, I received an email from one of the members of the council. She had thought about our discussions and suggested that I write directly to employees at Health in the faculty's newsletter. She suggested that I could write about some of the initiatives currently on my desk, so that all employees can keep abreast of some of the things we’re working on at the faculty.
I think it's a brilliant idea - thank you! I intend to continue this column once a month from now on.
The word encourage is worth noting. Not require. Not expect. But encourage.
In my view, we have an important role to play here. Public debate moves quickly, and complex issues are often reduced to overly simple answers – and, at worst, incorrect ones. As a university, we have a particular role in this. Not in having all the answers, but in bringing knowledge, nuances and uncertainties into the conversation.
Universities are sometimes accused of living in an ivory tower, speaking in a language that few people understand. When we take part in public debate, we open the door. We make research accessible and show why it matters – beyond the walls of the university too.
This does not necessarily require an opinion piece in a national newspaper. It could be a researcher adding nuance to a debate about vaccines or commenting on priorities in the healthcare system. A lecturer offering perspectives on the future of healthcare education. Or new research that provides grounds for challenging a widely held assumption.
It could happen in a regional newspaper, a specialist publication, on LinkedIn, at a public meeting or in a lecture at Folkeuniversitetet. What matters is not the medium, but that our academic expertise is brought into play where questions are being asked and opinions are being formed.
Many of the faculty’s researchers are already doing exactly this. Over the summer, for example, we have seen researchers from the Department of Forensic Medicine contribute to the media on several occasions, and throughout the year many of the faculty’s researchers give interviews, write opinion pieces, give talks and share their knowledge with the public, public authorities and partners. This deserves recognition – and a big thank you.
The same goes for the researchers on the faculty’s list of experts, who have agreed to make their expertise available to the media and the general public. If you are an expert in an area that is not yet represented, the Communications department (health.kommunikation@au.dk) would be very pleased to hear from you.
But knowledge exchange works both ways. When we listen to society’s questions, challenges and criticism, we also learn. New research ideas can emerge, collaborations can take shape, innovation can develop, and our degree programmes can evolve in step with the needs of society.
My message is simple: Share your knowledge.