Last week, the two programme groups being launched in the Human First partnership, which comprises VIA University College, the Central Denmark Region and Aarhus University, had their kick-off meetings. The programme groups are now charged with preparing proposals for how collaboration on research, education and development can be strengthened in relation to ‘diseases and brain injuries’ and ‘people with rehabilitation needs'.

2018.10.04 | Camilla Marcinkowski, VIA

Photo: Human First.

The health partnership Human First is really getting down to work. The partnership was established in 2018 to strengthen the bilateral collaboration which already existed between Aarhus University, the Central Denmark Region and VIA University College in the areas of health, research and education.

The vision of the new partnership is to carry out groundbreaking research and intelligent education for better health and society. And this vision must be put into practice by bringing three of the region's largest organisations into play.

Last week, professionals and experts from the three partner institutions and from the municipalities met up for two kick-off meetings that signalled the start of work on two selected focus areas; "people with rehabilitation needs" and "diseases and brain injuries". The programme groups will use the coming months to analyse, describe and recommend measures that can strengthen research, education and development collaboration in the two areas.

The programme groups consist of between 25-30 professionals and are headed by a chairmanship consisting of three professional experts with one from each partner organisation. The chairmanship of the programme group "People with rehabilitation needs” is further supplemented by a representative from the municipality, as the municipalities have a crucial role to play in this area. In February 2019, the programme groups will present recommendations for initiatives in the two areas. Subsequently, the steering committee for Human First will select the initiatives to be put into practice.

The steering group comprises a number of representatives from the three partners and is headed by a chairmanship consisting of Aase Lydiksen, director of health education, VIA University College; Ole Thomsen, head of corporate management, Central Denmark Region; and Lars Bo Nielsen, Dean of the Faculty of Health, Aarhus University. The municipalities in the region also have two seats on the steering committee.

Dean Lars Bo Nielsen is pleased that the programme groups are now under way.

"Our ambition with Human First is to join forces and bring together the bright minds that we have in the fields of health, education and research in an interdisciplinary collaboration. Through the efforts of the programme groups, the strong collaboration that we already have in the three organisations will be utilised to provide specific recommendations on strengthening research and education, which will ultimately benefit the population in general and the patients," says Lars Bo Nielsen.

The university's representative in the chairmanship of the programme group "Diseases and brain injuries" is Professor, Department Chair, Henning Andersen, while Associate Professor Sanne Angel from the Department of Public Health represents the university in the chairmanship for "People with rehabilitation needs".

Both groups will gather for one-day seminars in November with the aim of bringing the work on a white paper for presentation to the steering committee a big step closer.

For further information

Read more about the Human First partnership and see the participants in the programme groups on Health's website (in Danish).

Contact
Professor, Department Chair Henning Andersen
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Neurology
Tel.: (+45) 7846 3281
Email: hena@clin.au.dk

Associate Professor Sanne Angel
Aarhus University, Department of Public Health
Mobile: (+45) 5135 8576
Email: angel@ph.au.dk