Leadership and organization at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care

Here you will find an overview of the management team and governing bodies at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care.

Department leadership

Head of department and management

Councils, boards and committees

The department council

The department council advises the head of department and informs decisions on important matters. The council discusses questions of strategic and principled significance for the department. Its composition and responsibilities follow UiB's rules for department governing bodies.

The department council

Chair: Bjarne Robberstad (head of department)
Secretary: Ingvild Strømsnes (head of administration)

Group A
Edvin Schei
Thorkild Tylleskär
Tone Bjørge
Marte Emilie Sandvik Haaland

Group B
Kerstin Almdal

Group C
Anne Berit Kolmannskog

Group D
Sigrun Kristoffersen

Deputies

Group A: Bård Erik Bogen, Oddvar Kaarbøe, Elisabeth Strømme
Group B: (vacant)
Group C: Burhan Huseni Limdiawala
Group D: Karine Wenzel Norgård

Research committee

The research committee is a distinct body at the department. It is linked to the development of research activity and strategic priorities, and forms part of the department's work on research and strategy.

Research leader: Knut Erik Emberland

Committee members:
Mirey Alfarah
Nina Øyen
Jorunn Drageset
Cecilie Svanes

Administrative support: Ricky Heggheim

Teaching groups

About the teaching groups

The teaching groups organise the department's teaching activities. They handle subject-specific matters, coordinate teaching, carry out pedagogical and academic development work, and continuously assess the academic content of the study programmes. The teaching groups also function as competence groups for the department's research groups. All teachers at the department participate in a relevant teaching group; for questions within a given subject area, the teaching groups may be contacted.

General practice

The group is responsible for teaching general practice on the medical programme (PRMEDISIN) and for doctoral training through the National Research School in General Practice (NAFALM). Students learn clinical diagnostics, treatment, communication and practical work with general practitioners in Western Norway.

Group leader: Stefán Hjörleifsson

Epidemiology

The group coordinates teaching in epidemiology at the department and serves as the department's epidemiology forum. It teaches on the medical programme (MED6) and the master's programme (MEDEPI), and contributes to courses in nutrition, pharmacy and global health.

Group leader: Tone Bjørge

Manual therapy

The group is responsible for the Clinical Master's Programme for Physiotherapists in Manual Therapy (MFMT). Teaching is aimed at physiotherapists pursuing postgraduate education at master's level.

Group leader: Nina-Margrethe Theodorsen

Health management

The group is responsible for the Executive Master's Programme in Health Management, Health Economics and Quality Improvement, as well as the courses Health Management and Quality Improvement in Health Services. The group also teaches leadership, quality and safety in the 10th semester of the medical programme.

Group leader: Inger Lise Teig

International health

The group is responsible for teaching in the global health area, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries — maternal and child health, nutrition, infectious diseases, health systems and globalisation.

Group leader: Karen Marie Moland

Ethics, health economics and philosophy of science

The group is responsible for teaching ethics, health economics and philosophy of science on the medical and dental programmes, in the master's programmes in health and society, biomedicine and global health, and at PhD and continuing education level.

Group leader: Inger Lise Teig

Medical statistics

The group is responsible for the majority of statistical teaching at the Faculty of Medicine. It teaches medical statistics at introductory and advanced levels (including MEDSTA, MEDSTA2, MEDSTAT3, GENESTAT and RMED901) and offers statistical guidance to students and researchers.

Group leader: Trond Riise

Community pharmacy

The group is responsible for the courses FARM103 Community Pharmacy I and FARM205 Community Pharmacy II with supervised pharmacy practice, as well as supervision of master's theses. Teaching is aimed at students on the integrated master's programme in pharmacy.

Group leader: Lone Holst

Community medicine

The group teaches medical students in community medicine topics such as prevention, health promotion, environmental medicine, health policy, social inequalities in health and emergency preparedness.

Group leader: Liv Grimstvedt Kvalvik

Health and society

The group is responsible for the Master's Programme in Health and Society. Students work with complex challenges in health, health services and health-related research.

Group leader: Silje Mæland

Last updated: 12.06.2026