ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 8 – medicine | clinical
the four units has a potential to make this area in Lund to an excellent
or even outstanding research line. There are a large number of younger
researchers with long-term potential. With exception of Biomedical Engineering
the groups have involved also adequate numbers of PhD students.
2.26 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
The Department contains two professorial positions, one senior lecturer
and a researcher in addition to clinicians and others involved in scientific
research. Except for a female researcher, both professors, the senior
lecturer and the rest of the academic staff are males. The key problem is
the age of the two professors (65 years each), as well as the senior lecturer
(age 58). Thus, major changes will occur over the next few years.
Research quality: They list a total of 6 different groups, were mainly
involved in neonatology research on placenta with respect to humans
as well as animal (sheep model) facilities. They provide a well organized
list of core facilities, including a perinatal sheep model and several other
facilities. There are partly collaboration and overlap between the groups.
In addition, there is research on sonographic investigations. The general
problem is the difficulty in seeing a hypothesis driven research program
with respect to the type of translational research conducted (individual
parameters correlated to outcome and biological studies without
their relation to clinical parameters). They are exploring a number of
individual parameters, also applying novel technologies like arrays, but
it remains far from clear what is the underlying “theories” driving their
research; rather, it seems as they obtain tissue banking and evaluate a
panel of parameters. Considering the individual principle investigators
and looking at the citations with respect to age, a total assessment may
rate between insufficient to good.
Future potential and possibilities: With three of the senior staff aiming
for retirement over the next couple of years, this may implicate significant
structural changes to the unit. A strength is collaboration with other
investigators involved in basic research (translation), however, it does not
seem they generate the full benefit from such programs. The fact that
two of the professorial positions are to be occupied with new persons
over the next few years opens for new possibilities in this area. Clearly,
the possibilities are there (considering facilities and patients) to improve
quality standard of the research, provided the University is able to recruit
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