Women's health research on the agenda

– I have learned an incredible amount and also had a few surprises, says an enthusiastic and happy center coordinator of Driv – Center for Women's Health Research, Nina Grytten Torkildsen at the University of Bergen.

She has just completed a major event that brought together around 160 engaged individuals – both researchers and politicians – around the topic of women's health research.

The thematic day, held on January 17, is the center's first since its establishment in the fall of 2024, and according to Torkildsen, it has been crucial for solidifying the network among researchers:

– We organized this thematic day both to showcase Driv and what we do, but also to allow the involved researchers to meet each other and create a shared identity, says Torkildsen.

A topic with political relevance

She thanks the program committee for the exciting program, where a wide range of researchers had the opportunity to present their work:

– Here, we have everything from experimental research, translational research, clinical and biological research, to social science research, the leader explains.

Bringing together people from different fields in this way brings forth new perspectives, she believes:

– It has been incredibly exciting! And it’s also clear that this is a topic with political relevance, says Torkildsen.

– We need to step up

Dean Per Bakke at the Faculty of Medicine also praises the event:

– It’s an incredibly exciting program, with many interesting and engaging presentations, he boasts.

Like Torkildsen, he also believes it is important to organize such events, not only to get researchers to meet each other but to put the topic on the agenda:

– The work is not done when you’ve published an article in a journal, because politicians don’t necessarily read our publications. We need to step up and meet them, and that’s what we achieve with a thematic day like this, the dean confirms.

Putting women's health on the agenda moving forward

Torkildsen promises that this won’t be the last time women's health researchers in the region join forces:

– There will be more thematic days, she promises.

On March 8, Driv will also host an event at the Literature House in Bergen. After that, she looks forward to November:

– On November 5, a national conference on women's health research will be held here in Bergen, organized by Driv – Center for Women's Health Research.

- The original text is translated from Norwegian to English by AI.