Because I come directly from the research world, I can build a strong bridge between practice and the ambitions that the university has, says Anne-Mette Hvas. As the new Dean of the Faculty of Health, she will engage in dialogue with the departments on internationalisation, on gender equality and on research – both its strengths and the threats it faces. But we will also meet a dean who is active on Twitter, and continues to make coffee at the winter swimming club every Thursday at 06:00.

2021.10.06 | Ulla Krag Jespersen

"If there’s one thing that’s my strong suit, it’s the ability to see how general intentions can be translated into practice."

These are the words of Anne-Mette Hvas, who will take over the dean’s office at Health on 1 December, spending her time until then concluding and handing over her various responsibilities as deputy head of department at the Department of Clinical Medicine and research director and consultant at Aarhus University Hospital - Department of Clinical Biochemistry.

Strategies and action plans are necessary, but according to the new dean, they must be translated into something that is meaningful and applicable in the practical reality on the ground in the research environments.

"I can contribute with an eye for what works and what doesn’t in the research environments. When do we just say okay the information is sent – and when can we actually change something," says Anne-Mette Hvas.

As a tangible and very topical example of how strategy can be translated into practice, she points to the work done on research integrity, which is an important focus area at Aarhus University:

"Instead of sending out a big stack of text material about responsible conduct of research, we’ve created a dilemma game that all research groups at the Department of Clinical Medicine will play during the autumn. This creates some very practice-centred discussions in the research environments, and it’s precisely these discussions that can help to change the culture. I’m not saying that we don’t need to put things on paper, but it’s through the actual discussions in the research groups that we change attitudes and behaviour," says Anne-Mette Hvas.

We must help to solve the major challenges faced by society

The new dean does not yet have a manifesto ready, but Anne-Mette Hvas would like to make an impression on at least three areas at the faculty:

 

"I want to discuss opportunities for internationalisation of the degree programmes with our departments. I will also familiarise myself with the faculty’s work on gender equality. In recent years, the senior management team has shown a willingness to introduce initiatives in this area and I believe I can contribute towards translating the good intentions into action. I would also like to engage in a dialogue with our departments about where they see their greatest potential and their biggest challenges when it comes to research."

"With you as dean, are we getting someone who will send out directions for what we should be researching in particular?"

"I don't see myself as a person who should decide what areas we should or shouldn’t research. Freedom of research is extremely important. It’s our foundation. But if we are to have some major focus areas – and I think we should – then we’re going to need high-quality, international beacons of excellence. We’ve got some areas that can contribute to solving major challenges facing society, and we can certainly articulate these. Conversely, within health sciences there are widespread diseases that might not be particularly prestigious or well-funded, but where it’s vital that we conduct research."

Transparency is a prerequisite for equal conditions

As research director, Anne-Mette Hvas has succeeded in building a solid and internationally recognised research group within her field, and she has created fertile ground for more junior researchers to be given the opportunity to conduct research into blood clots and thrombosis. In her role as deputy head of department, one of the things she points to is the work done on specifying the criteria for becoming a clinical associate professor:

"It may sound like a very small thing, but I want to mention it because clarity and transparency about the criteria for becoming clinical associate professor is one of the necessary prerequisites for ensuring that we have equal conditions for research. This is really important for me – a level playing field regardless of gender. So even though the criteria don’t in themselves involve a discussion of gender policy, it’s become clearer to everyone where the entrance door is. For me, transparency is absolutely vital for achieving a level playing field in a research career."

It is not news that Anne-Mette Hvas is working to promote gender equality for researchers. She has regularly been involved in the debate about the lack of equal conditions for women in research, for example as part of the activist group Line X, which also includes other prominent researchers from the Department of Clinical Medicine. It is therefore natural for gender equality to continue to be a key issue for the new dean:

"I want to bring diversity and equal conditions for research into the position of dean. I really want to make my mark here. But clearly it’ll be in a different way than previously, since I’ll now be playing a role in a much larger organisation and from another standpoint," says Anne-Mette Hvas.

Teaching is just as important as research

For Anne-Mette Hvas, teaching is just as important as research.

"In our daily work, teaching is seen as being extremely important, but when we sit with a CV on an appointment committee, research merits are given relatively greater importance. Perhaps we can work on giving more merit to teaching, course development and new forms of instruction than is the case today," she says.

"For example, I had a bit of a eureka moment as a member of the appointment committee for a professorship at the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health. Here, the department head has included a ten minute presentation by the applicant so they can demonstrate their communicative skills. It’s a way of giving equal status to things and signalling that here, how you teach and how you communicate is important.”

Research must be utilised to benefit patients and society

"Collaboration with business and industry is part of AU’s strategy – how can we develop the faculty when it comes to collaboration?"

"This is an area where spinouts are important for how you as a researcher can further develop your research so that the idea can be commercialised, or so you can establish a company based on a discovery. But it’s very difficult today, as it can e.g. be extremely difficult to make the necessary agreements. I would like to work with the departments to break down the barriers and create more flexibility, so we can support the type of innovation, where research is also in this way translated or further developed into something that can benefit patients and society," says Anne-Mette Hvas.

The importance of the universities for society is also shown in the public debate – and Anne-Mette Hvas intends to get involved here.

"I certainly hope that I can also make an impression here. The public debate is very important when it comes to making the university's role in society more visible. Getting involved in the big agendas means something."

Anne-Mette Hvas has herself been active on Twitter for a long time.

"Out of the social media we have now, Twitter is the one I prefer to use. It’s very dynamic and very suitable for research communication. I was professionally very involved in the whole Covid-19 vaccination discussion. This was what really opened my eyes to what Twitter can be used for, because as researchers we could regularly and quickly share knowledge and information with each other across national borders,” she says.

But Anne-Mette Hvas does not spend all her free time scrolling through Twitter. At the moment, she is reading 'Rosarium', a novel by Charlotte Weitzes. And otherwise she is a very active outdoor person: She cycles to work every day, goes for a run a couple of times a week, and together with her husband, she shares the responsibility of opening the clubhouse and making coffee for the early morning swimmers at Ballehage Winter Swimming Club every Thursday morning at 06:00. A job she has no intention of leaving, even though she is now taking a step up the ladder to become dean.

“I’m going to continue doing it. The morning light you meet as you walk down the steps to the beach, even during the darkest months of the year, is solace for the soul. That dip in the ocean means something for my mental health, so I’ll definitely prioritise it.”

Facts about Anne-Mette Hvas

• 56 years old
• Current position: Deputy Head of Department and Professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine at AU as well as Consultant at Aarhus University Hospital - Department of Clinical Biochemistry
• Education: Master’s degree in Medicine in 1994, PhD in 2001, Medical Specialist in Clinical Biochemistry in 2005
• Lives in a townhouse in Frederiksbjerg, Aarhus, with her husband. Previously lived in the Sol & Vind community in Beder outside Aarhus
• Has two sons aged 26 and 27.

 

Read Rector Brian Bech Nielsen's press release on Health's new dean: "Professor Anne-Mette Hvas is the new dean of the Faculty of Health at Aarhus University"

 

Contact

Deputy Head of Department, Professor and Consultant Anne-Mette Hvas
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Clinical Biochemistry
Mobile: (+45) 23 34 82 52
Email: anne-mette.hvas@clin.au.dk