Broad focus on health and welfare

INN University has launched a new doctoral degree in health and welfare and is looking for eight PhD students in several disciplines.

A young looking hand holding the hand of an elderly person.

The eight PhD students will be associated with the new PhD programme in health and welfare, which will be launched in fall 2022.

Photo: Høgskolen i Innlandet.

“We are building a new doctoral programme that will broadly engage with health and welfare issues. The programme will link disciplines such as social sciences, health sciences, public health sciences and sports sciences,” says Dean Per Morten Fredriksen at the Faculty of Social and Health Sciences.

Eight PhD positions have recently been advertised, with varying application deadlines. They will be followed by several individual vacancies later on.

“We hope many see these as exciting opportunities and send us an application,” says Fredriksen.

Lifelong health

The content of the advertised PhD positions ranges from working with children and youth’s participation related to their own health, to physical activity among the elderly in nursing homes, trauma psychology and migrants and health.

“We are building a doctoral programme that develops knowledge about health and welfare in a lifelong perspective, from the prevention of health challenges among young people to the management of disease among the elderly,” explains Per Morten Fredriksen.

“The programme will range from working with individuals' health to how social conditions, and the design of services, inhibit and promote health and quality of life,” he continues.

The doctoral programme presupposes close collaboration with, among others, the municipalities in Innlandet County, Innlandet Hospital Trust (Sykehuset Innlandet), and NGOs. In addition, there are plans for extensive involvement and collaboration across INN University.

Comprehensive research training

The research training that the research fellows must undergo normally lasts for four years. It will contain a taught part and independent research work that culminates in a doctoral thesis.

The research fellows will actively participate in research environments nationally and internationally and be responsible for academic dissemination related to their doctoral work.

The new PhD programme “Health and Welfare” was approved this winter by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT). The programme is under establishment, and will be in full operation from the autumn of 2022.

The programme replaces the PhD programme “Child and Youth Competence Development”, which is being phased out, but partly continued in the optional course Children and Youth's Upbringing and Participation.

As of today, there are still 21 PhD students in the older programme, and these are planned to defend their theses within two years.

Contact

Picture of Mari Rysst
Professor and Head of BUK
Email
mari.rysst@inn.no
Phone
+47 61 28 80 65
By Tore Høyland
Published Mar. 31, 2022 1:40 AM - Last modified Mar. 31, 2022 1:53 AM