Riitta Möller wins the 2024 Pedagogical Prize

The Pedagogical Award of the Year is awarded to Riitta Möller, Senior Lecturer/Senior Physician and Docent at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB). Her successful and systematic work on pedagogical quality has led to her being frequently engaged in quality evaluations of educational programs in Sweden and other countries. She is a member of the Karolinska Institutet’s Pedagogical Academy and AMEE (The International Association for Health Profession Education), where an important part of her work is to establish an organization and a climate where newcomers to the field of medical education are welcomed and given opportunities for mentorship and career pathways.

Riitta's commitment to both pedagogy and clinical work has resulted in numerous scientific publications ranging from the individual's experience of the clinical learning environment to large systematic quality work. Her engagement in the students' situation is also evident through a multitude of scientific articles addressing stress, quality of life, and the clinical learning environment for students from various professions.

The Prize Committee’s Motivation:

Riitta's long-standing commitment through her pedagogical leadership roles and development work has had a particular focus on the scientific foundation of education, examinations, and ensuring the high quality of education. Her work has made an impact both nationally and internationally.

Riitta, what does this award mean to you?

I am incredibly grateful and humbled to receive this award from KI. It symbolizes that dedication to education is appreciated by KI. The award is also a reminder of the constant need to improve and develop teaching methods and pedagogical strategies, and it encourages me to continue striving for a stimulating and inclusive learning environment for everyone.

What occupies you right now?

At MEB, where I am the Departmental Director of Education (GUA), we are responsible for two courses in the new 6-year medical programme. We have carefully analyzed what has worked in the past and what needs improvement for the students to achieve the learning objectives. MEB is also one of the course providers in the new Master's Programme in Biostatistics and Data Science. My colleagues in biostatistics handle most of the work themselves, but I try to support them to the best of my ability. As a faculty representative on the Committee for Higher Education, I am involved in the second round of KI's internal quality evaluations. Additionally, I currently have an assignment for the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (Nokut). We have recently reviewed all Norwegian medical education programmes and are in the process of writing a final report. Meanwhile, clinical work and research continue at their own pace.

Finally, I would like to extend a warm thank you to those who nominated me for this award. I also want to thank my colleagues and all the students for their engagement and collaboration, and the leadership at MEB who have supported me in many ways. Knowing that my work has been recognized and appreciated by my colleagues is an incredible feeling and inspires me to continue working for better education for our students. Seeing students grow is the greatest reward for a teacher!