The Global Bridges program empowers junior researchers at KI by fostering international mentorship and collaboration in healthcare sciences
Global Bridges is a unique program that offers junior healthcare science researchers at Karolinska Institutet (KI) the opportunity to invite an international scholar to Stockholm for a week of academic exchange and collaboration. Since its inception, the program has been held six times between 2013 and 2022, welcoming 37 international scholars from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, alongside 48 junior researchers from KI.
Initiative for collaboration
The week begins with a two-day retreat featuring seminars, in-depth discussions, and one-on-one mentoring sessions. The following three days are tailored to the interests of the invited scholar and the hosting junior researcher(s), and may include lectures, clinical visits, workshops, social events, and other collaborative activities. To further strengthen these international connections, junior researchers can apply for a travel grant from SFO-V (Strategic Research Area – Health-Care Science), enabling them to visit their invited scholar’s institution after the program concludes.
What was the outcome?
Ing-Mari Dohrn and Hanna Johansson have conducted the evaluation of this highly appreciated initiative, which they experienced as a rewarding process: "Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting a strong global demand for programs that foster cross-institutional collaboration and mentorship in healthcare science", says Hanna and continues: "We believe that initiatives like Global Bridges are a powerful catalyst for advancing healthcare science at KI and beyond."
Till artikeln: Fostering international mentorship and collaborations: evaluation of the Global Bridges program for early-career researchers in health care sciences.
Johansson H, Lindblom S, Timm L, Gardiner PA, Opava CH, Dohrn IM
BMC Med Educ 2025 Apr;25(1):616