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Bente Mikkelsen: Oslo Science City’s potential in health research

Bente Mikkelsen/LinkedIn

Dec 10, 2024, 17:51

Bente Mikkelsen: Oslo Science City’s potential in health research

Bente Mikkelsen, Former Director of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, posted the following on LinkedIn:

“With a heart for the melting pot Oslo Science City.

This job resonates with what I have been doing for the past 12 years at the WHO. I have tried to focus on what is possible, what must be done, and what is immoral not to do. In the WHO, I have been the director responsible for the NCDs in the world, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, oral health, etc.

These diseases account for almost 75% of all deaths globally, 7 out of 10 deaths. I think it is a moral imperative that we must use what is offered by the Norwegian government, the City of Oslo, the health trusts with great commitment from employees, academia with all the talented researchers, innovation environments, industry and partners. There is a great commitment and a unique opportunity here now with large investments in buildings and infrastructure that we have not seen before.

If I were an industrial partner and investor, I would choose a country where politicians really want to make a difference, where they understand the urgency, where they want to shift from oil and gas and feel the moral imperative to do so. Yes, we still have challenges in terms of access to health data, but will that change considerably, because the political will is there. So Oslo Innovation District and Oslo Science City for me is a place where you can find everything you need, and which also has enormous potential. 70% of all health research in Norway takes place there, with 8,000 researchers, 40,000 students, and 300 startups working there. ”

Bente Mikkelsen: Oslo Science City’s potential in health research

More posts featuring Bente Mikkelsen on OncoDaily.

Bente Mikkelsen is the Former Director of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) at WHO Headquarters in Geneva and was previously Director for Noncommunicable Diseases and Health Promotion in Europe. She also headed the secretariat for the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on Noncommunicable Diseases. Trained as a Gynecologist and Obstetrician, her primary focus now is aligning efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals by reducing premature deaths from NCDs and employing innovation and collaboration across sectors.