Newsletter 70 from the Head of Department
Dear All - Welcome back from Easter break to Spring news from IOOS.
INTERNAL AT THE INSTITUTE
The workplace assessment: High response rate, follow-up work and cream puffs
In week 9, all employees at Aarhus University completed a workplace assessment (APV), and at IOOS we had an impressively high response rate of 85% - in 2022 the response rate was 76%. Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer the questions. The large participation gives us a solid basis to assess our workplace and working environment - that's important.
The Department's APV Follow-up Group is currently reviewing the department report and discussing the results so that we can prepare action plans and ensure follow-up in areas where it is relevant or necessary. You will hear more about the results and involvement in action plans.
And then the Department's Liaison Committee (LSU) and Occupational Health and Safety Organisation (LAMU) promised cream puffs to the unit with the highest response rate. We have to multiply that by three, because both the secretariat, the central dental laboratory and the Section for Prosthodontics had a response rate of 100%!
Mandatory cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for all employees
From now on, all IOOS employees must receive regular cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. In practice, this means that:
- all employees must complete an online CPR course once a year
- employees with patient contact must receive practical CPR training every 2 years
- all other employees must receive practical training every 5 years.
In 2025, we are focusing on all employees with patient contact receiving practical training, and in 2026, all other employees must be trained.
The practical CPR training lasts three hours, and there is room for approximately 20 employees in each training class. The first four training days are planned and will take place from 8-11am in Apollonia (1612-018E) in Danish. English classes will be available later in the year. Mark your calendar if one of these days fits your calendar:
- Monday June 16
- Thursday June 19
- Thursday June 26
- Friday June 27.
More information will follow about registering for the practical CPR and about the online course, but if you have general questions about the teaching, please contact Team Leader Andreas Schlott.
New first aid kits in several places at the department
We have received first aid kits from Falck, and they are located in all the places where we also have defibrillators and/or emergency equipment. The Falck boxes are located here:
- Basement: near the canteen / at the exit to Apollonia (Control: Sussie Kristensen)
- 1st floor: at the Section for Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Pathology (Control: Randi Sønderskov Pedersen and Malene Lind Bunde)
- 2nd floor: between the waiting area and the clinic area (Control: Charlotte Lund Østergaard) and at the Section for Paedodontics (Control: Sussie Kristensen)
- 3rd floor: between the waiting area and the clinic area (Control: Charlotte Thomsen and Jette Braüner Mortensen) and in the hallway in the skills laboratory (Control: Britt Hansen Bomberg)
The location of first aid kits, emergency equipment and defibrillators is marked on all overview maps, and as employees we have a duty to orient ourselves where the equipment is located if an emergency situation arises.
We can order free refills of the Falck boxes if any of the contents are used. It is therefore important that the boxes are not filled with anything other than materials from Falck. The boxes are checked approximately once a month, but if you take contents from the first aid boxes, please inform the employees who are in charge.
We hosted a Nordic Dental Dean Summit
In the first week of April, the Department hosted the Nordic Dental Dean Meeting 2025, and we managed to bring together Department Heads and Education Directors from 13 of the 14 Nordic university dental education institutions. This year's theme was "Curriculum Development", and here we have a lot to offer ourselves due to our experiences with the revision of curricula under the umbrella of "The Aarhus Model of Dental Education".
It was a few intense days with educational discussions and new perspectives carried through by a strong program - put together by our education leadership group, management consultant Mette Hein Ærthøj and special consultant Jens Laurs Kærsgaard from the Centre for Educational Development - that ensured active participation and commitment from everyone.
It is clear that we in the Nordic Countries have a historically shared set of values, both in terms of healthcare and education systems, and that we face the same challenges and issues. I think the three days together have strengthened our relationship, and this is required for closer cooperation with our Nordic colleagues.
You can see pictures from the Nordic Dean Meeting on Health's LinkedIn page.
Completed Pure profiles: We (almost) reached our goal
A little over a month ago, 1% of employees at IOOS had a completed Pure profile. After the Pure week in March with Mint manuals and Pure Gold caramels, encouragement and help, a full 57% of us have completed the mandatory fields: profile and work areas – it went really well!
Although the Pure week is over, it is still important that we keep the Pure profiles updated in the future – for example with sideline employment – and that those of you who did not complete the mandatory texts this time do so.
If you did not make it to the employee photo shoot at the Department, there is always the opportunity to have a new, professional portrait taken. Aarhus University photographers offer free employee photography one day each month in Building 1910. Book an appointment for photography via the website.
RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Advisor Anne Hofmeister is the Department's contact person in Health Research Support
The relatively newly established unit, Health Research Support, which can help us prepare competitive funding applications for our research projects, has now appointed a partner for the Department.
Our contact person in Health Research Support is advisor Anne Hofmeister, and Anne is ready to help with all aspects of applying for external funding, for example:
- Advice on writing competitive proposals for external funding
- Supporting researchers and research groups in developing and implementing funding strategies
- General sparring on relevant funds and funding opportunities.
Focus on internships in dental hygiene
In the last two issues, the professional magazine ‘Tandplejeren’ has written articles about how important and educational it is for our dental hygiene students to do internships in either municipal or private practices – and how necessary it is for the clinics to offer themselves as internship hosts. The intention of the articles is precisely to provide more internships for our dental hygiene students by illustrating the perspectives of both the internship hosts and the perspectives of the interns [In Danish]. Our internship coordinator Sisse Claudia Korsholm is heading the effort. Sisse also contributes to the articles, as do several of our students.
NEWS ABOUT NAMES
Peter Bangsgaard Stoustrup is new Professor of Orthodontics
The Department's orthodontic educational and research environment is being strengthened with the appointment of Peter Bangsgaard Stoustrup as a new professor. Peter took up the position on 1 April. Peter is a familiar face at IOOS, as Head of Section for Orthodontics and Head of the Specialist Education in Orthodontics at Aarhus University. He also graduated from Aarhus University and has been an Associate Professor until now.
Throughout his career, Peter has had a particular focus on temporomandibular joint arthritis in children and adolescents, but he also conducts research into how digital solutions and the use of artificial intelligence can improve the orthodontic treatment options of the future.
Congratulations to Peter and to us – I look forward to the continued collaboration! See more in the faculty's description of the new professorship in orthodontics.
Laurits Astrup Kaaber receives Health Student Research Award
Every year, the Faculty of Health hands out Student Research Awards to students who have distinguished themselves with an extraordinary written effort. This year, the Health Student Research Award went to Laurits Astrup Kaaber, who has just completed his research year at the Section for Oral Radiology and Endodontics. Laurits Astrup Kaaber has investigated the use of low-dose CBCT in connection with dental implants, and a subcommittee from the Academic Council has assessed the submitted student research projects. Congratulations!
Best wishes,
Siri