Background and experience
I have the pleasure of serving as Head of Department in a highly inspiring academic and professional environment at the Department of Health and Nursing Science. I am a registered nurse and hold a PhD in Risk Management and Societal Safety, with a particular focus on quality management and certification and accreditation systems in healthcare.
I have been employed at the University of Agder since 2015, holding positions as an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and currently Head of Department. I have extensive experience in teaching, course coordination, clinical placement supervision, simulation-based education, and student supervision at both bachelor’s and master’s levels, and also contributed to supervision at the PhD level.
Prior to entering academia, I worked for several years as a nurse in hospital emergency departments. I have also worked as a professional advisor and national secretary for the Norwegian Red Cross Search and Rescue Corps, and served as an international health delegate following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. I have extensive voluntary experience within the Norwegian Red Cross, particularly related to first aid training, rescue operations, and youth activities.
Education
- PhD in Risk Management and Societal Safety, University of Stavanger, 2020
- Master's degree in Societal Safety, specialization in crisis management, University of Stavanger, 2008
- Bachelor's degree in nursing, Agder University College, 2002
Areas of responsibility
As Head of Department, I hold overall responsibility for the academic activities of the department, including leadership of education and research, staff management, and strategic development.
The department is located across two campuses and offers programmes in health and nursing at bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels, in addition to several continuing and further education programmes. The department has approximately 1,400 students and an active research environment comprising four research groups and two research centres.
I believe in trust and open dialogue as core elements of leadership. Delivering high quality requires strong internal collaboration, academically grounded teaching and dissemination, and a clearly defined research environment with both internal and external visibility.
Teaching
Courses for which I have been course coordinator:
- SY210 Nursing in Various Disease Conditions I
- SY220 Nursing in Various Disease Conditions – Methods and Technology
- SYP220 Skills and Procedures
- SYP225 Clinical Placement Studies – Improvement and coordination
- BSS140 The Risk Society (University of Stavanger)
I have taught broadly within nursing education, particularly in topics related to nursing in illness, emergency medicine, first aid, clinical observation, anatomy and physiology, quality improvement, and patient safety. My teaching includes lectures, practical skills training, and simulation-based learning, as well as the development and implementation of active learning methods.
I addition, I have held key roles in the development and implementation of simulation activities—as facilitator, operator, and coordinator. I have facilitated several hundred scenario-based simulation sessions, including the development of new scenarios, also targeting paediatric contexts.
I have supervised several bachelor’s students in clinical placements, group-based casework, and bechelors projects, and have experience supervising at the master’s level and co-supervising PhD candidates. My clinical supervision experience includes more than 150 placements across hospitals, home care services, and nursing homes. I have also contributed to course development, exam design, grading guidelines, and the development of assessment methods.
Research
My research focuses on quality and safety in healthcare services, with particular emphasis on:
- How healthcare organisations work with international quality standards (such as ISO 9001)
- The interaction between healthcare providers and external auditing, certification, and accreditation bodies
- Communication, teamwork, and leadership in emergency medical teams
I have published research articles in international journals and participate in interdisciplinary research environments. I believe that new knowledge, technology, and standards can contribute to improved quality in both education and clinical practice.
More recently, I have co-supervised a PhD candidate researching the use of robots for physical assistance in home care. This work is part of an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented research field where technology, ethics, and service innovation intersect, and it builds on my broader interest in quality, safety, and technology in healthcare.