Inspirational memorial symposium
September 14th, CCBIO, the Department of Clinical Science at UiB and the Women's Clinic at Helse Bergen organized a memorial symposium for Helga B. Salvesen, the CCBIO cancer researcher who passed away in January this year. People came from far and near to be together at this scientific gathering.
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"It was both painful and nice at the same time", says professor Jone Trovik at the Department of Clinical Science. She is currently coordinating Helga Salvesen's research group.
"It is good to see that the important work Helga started will live on. She meant much to us all, in international research communities as well as here in Norway", Trovik continues.
Helga Salvesen and her group did cutting edge research within gynaecologic cancer, and stood for several significant findings in the field.
"We wanted to have this meeting in memory of Helga Salvesen and her work", explains the director of CCBIO, Lars A. Akslen.
"The scientific program focused on new biomarker studies in gynecologic and breast cancers. This is a field that constantly teaches us more about cancer and how we can fight the disease - but it is also very complicated. Therefore, we need excellent and hardworking researchers, and many of them were here today. We were also reminded of the crucial importance of good collaboration and network formation", Akslen continues.
Great interest
The 150 participants were provided with much scientific refill during the day. Several top names in cancer research had come to Bergen this September day, among other Ate van der Zee from Groningen University in the Netherlands, Professor Hani Gabra from Imperial University London and Professor Inger Thune from the University of Oslo.
"The scientific program was very exciting", says Jone Trovik.
"For me it was particularly interesting to listen to Professor and Senior Consultant Inger Thune at Oslo University Hospital", Trovik says. "Thune talked about energy markers and the importance of metabolic changes for risk and progression of breast cancer.
Professor at the Department of Biomedicine, Aurora Martinez, was glad to be at the symposium. "It was very nice to be here, not least to see what Helga has meant to so many. That was very touching."
"This was a very inspirational day. Helga has through her work been a role model for many young researchers, and this was reflected during the entire day", Lars A. Akslen concluded.
PROGRAM
You can find the scientific program on this link.
