Research, collaboration and future priorities in focus at the KI SÖS Faculty Day
On 16 October, staff at KI SÖS gathered at Långholmen for this year’s Faculty Day. Through research presentations and joint discussions, the day focused on current research, collaboration with Södersjukhuset and the department’s future vision and strategy.
The day began with information from KI SÖS. Head of Department Erik Melén highlighted, among other things, the large number and boad range of scientific publications at the department, before the programme continued with presentations of new research initiatives and career paths in academia.
New research environments and initiatives
Andreas Claesson presented the Centre for Drowning Research, which started in June. Around 200 people die in drowning accidents each year, and just over 200 are treated in hospital. Against this background, the centre will be a place to seek, gather and develop new knowledge in the field.
Villiam Vejbrink Kildal spoke about the work to build the team and research environment around the aICU research programme. Among other things, he described the development of data and research infrastructure, as well as international collaborations with AI researchers
Career paths in research
Olga Titova shared experiences from her start as an assistant professor at KI SÖS and presented her research on the determinants and mechanisms behind cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases.
Gianluigi Savarese, recently appointed professor at KI, spoke about his international career journey from Italy to Sweden. He emphasised the importance of formulating relevant research questions, taking responsibility for one’s own development, learning from feedback and building international relationships. Good supervision, he noted, should enable researchers to develop their own direction and become independent.
Joint dialogue on research conditions
During the morning, KI SÖS and Södersjukhuset’s R&D, education and innovation management met for a joint dialogue. The discussion focused on how the research environment can be strengthened to help KI SÖS remain competitive locally, regionally and internationally. This requires structures, funding, staffing, time and premises that can create better conditions for clinical research.
One starting point for the discussion was that not all clinicians need to conduct research, but that everyone can contribute to research, for example by informing patients about studies, taking part in projects or collecting data. The participants also discussed how international exchange can be facilitated and how international students and researchers can be given opportunities to conduct research at Södersjukhuset.
Vision and strategy for the coming years
In the afternoon, Inger Kull and Anders Sondén presented the work on KI SÖS’s vision and strategy from 2027 onwards. The participants received feedback from KIRA and a summary of the department’s internal work during autumn 2026. The presentation was followed by a joint discussion about the vision, the strategy and the goals presented to the department regarding research and education.
The day ended with a guided tour of Långholmen Museum.