Elite research centre for medical endocrinology
Can high blood pressure be treated by burning the nerves to the kidney? Why is type-2 diabetes spreading like an epidemic across the world, and how can treatment with testosterone help men suffering from this type of diabetes? Are stem cells the cure for osteoporosis and cannabis the cure for anorexia?
These are just a few of the many questions to be addressed by the Centre for Research in Medical Endocrinology (EFE), a new elite research centre at Odense University Hospital (OUH).
Endocrinology is a medical field dealing with the hormone-producing glands of the body, such as the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the ovaries and the testicles. Jointly with the nervous system, hormones coordinate and control the function of many of the body’s various tissues and organs so that they function together in an appropriate, efficient and correct manner.
Eight different research areas
The responsibility of the new elite research centre is to carry out research into endocrinological diseases and the centre covers eight very different research areas, including diabetes, nutrition and anorexia, bone diseases, cardiovascular diseases and pituitary, adrenal and thyroid disorders.
The elite research centre for endocrinology is among the first to also carry out nursing research, which is research aimed at creating the best possible environment for patients. Right now, the centre is carrying out a research project to test whether the well-being and mood of patients, along with their motivation to take part in their own care and treatment, can be improved if they are given the opportunity to choose the artworks on the walls of their hospital room.
A stamp of quality
– The whole department has been declared an elite research centre, which, of course, is a stamp of quality. We are very conscious about living up to this stamp and we want to attract even more international researchers to the centre in the future, which is one of the goals of elite research centres, said Prof. Henning Beck-Nielsen, Head of Research for the new centre.
The overall objective of the centre is to ensure that endocrinology treatments are based on research, i.e. that treatment is evidence-based.
The elite research centre is managed by a research committee headed by Prof. Henning Beck-Nielsen. The centre has a total of 5 professors, 15 associate professors, around 40 PhD students and 6 postdocs.
Contact
Prof. Henning Beck-Nielsen, Consultant, Head of Research for EFE, +45 60 16 40 65.