The rector of DTU and the chief executive of Copenhagen University Hospital (on behalf of the Capital Region of Denmark) today signed a declaration of intent. The declaration is to strengthen collaboration and establish a strategic partnership, within the framework of the university hospital in order to bolster development and exploitation of technological healthcare solutions for future patients.
"We want far closer integration of specialist healthcare with technological and digital competences, so that we can learn from one another and benefit even more rapidly from the many new opportunities and solutions currently under development to address the increasing need for personalised diagnostics and targeted treatment".
"Future employees and managers at the hospital will have to understand and navigate technology at the same level as they do with healthcare,” said Rasmus Møgelvang, chief executive at Copenhagen University Hospital.
The upcoming partnership will be under the concept of the “university hospital”. This will cover education, innovation, research and treatment, and among other things, it is expected to mean that students and employees from DTU with technological competences will be more closely linked to treatment and development work on hospital wards, close to patients.
“We’ve already seen many examples of collaboration between engineers, physicians, nurses and other specialist groups. But we want to establish fertile new ground to nurture more new ideas and solutions in the future. And we believe this is best achieved in a consolidated legal structure in which it is routine for employees and students to move unhindered across institutions, instead of this being something extraordinary,” said Anders Bjarklev, rector of DTU.
The Capital Region of Denmark asked Copenhagen University Hospital to expand and strengthen strategic collaboration with DTU on behalf of the Capital Region of Denmark. DTU and Copenhagen University Hospital have therefore initiated a process aiming to sketch the outline of a strategic partnership in 2023 that builds on and improves the current collaboration that is based on many strong individual projects.
Examples of current, joint initiatives and projects between DTU and hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark.
Education: BSc in Medicine and Technology
A degree programme with a wide academic spectrum in which students learn to develop advanced technological devices and methods for use in diagnosis and treatment. The programme is a collaboration between DTU, the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital.
Shared positions which combine research and treatment
For example, engineer and researcher Abigail Kressner is working as an assistant professor, partly at DTU Healthcare Technology and partly at the Hearing and Balance Centre at Copenhagen University Hospital. Work at both locations has focus on improving and developing new technologies and methods to treat loss of hearing.
Development and innovation: WARD alarm system
WARD is an intelligent alarm system that measures blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation and other vital signs in patients under observation, for example after an operation. The system has been developed in collaboration between researchers at Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital and DTU, and is based on artificial intelligence and an algorithm that can sort data so that it only alerts staff when necessary.