Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Medicine

Research in Medical Education

KIPRIME Fellow Prof. Sören Huwendiek
KIPRIME Fellow Sören Huwendiek (center) with Lorelei Lingard, 2018 KIPRIME winner (left), and Terese Stenfors, KIPRIME Committee member (right). Photo Credit: Erik Cronberg

Among the international elite of research in medical education

Professor Sören Huwendiek, MD, PhD, MME, Head of the Department of Assessment and Evaluation at the Institute for Medical Education (IML), has been invited to participate in this year's Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education Fellows Program.

The Karolinska Institute near Stockholm awards the Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education (KIPRIME) every two years. The KIPRIME is probably the most prestigious prize in the world for research in medical education. The prize is worth 100,000 euros.

His participation in the Fellows Program does not mean that Sören Huwendiek has won the prize. However, being a Fellow already represents a significant milestone for him, as Sören Huwendiek explains in this interview.

Porträt Prof. Sören Huwendiek
Sören Huwendiek at the Karolinska Institute. Photo Credit: Erik Cronberg

What is the purpose of the KIPRIME Fellows Initiative?

The KIPRIME Fellows Initiative aims to support the next generation of prize winners. The Fellows have not yet won the prize. The support is provided via a three-day course in Stockholm. The course took place in August and was facilitated by four former KIPRIME prize winners.

In addition, there are regular networking meetings between the KIPRIME Fellows, e.g., annually during the meetings of the Association for Medical Education in Europe, one of the most international conferences in the field of medical education.

How does one become a KIPRIME Fellow?

KIPRIME Fellows are nominated by previous KIPRIME winners and the KIPRIME Committee in an extensive competitive selection process. Fellows represent an elite group of promising global talents. This year, 13 international Fellows and two from Sweden were selected from among 63 nominees.

What did you take away from the three-day course?

It was about looking back and to the future, as well as honing communication about one's own research program. There was a very inspiring exchange between the Fellows and the former prize winners.

What does the KIPRIME Fellowship mean for your further research activities and medical education in Bern?

Networking internationally with outstanding individuals makes for easier international collaboration and for profound insights into the advancement of medical education.

The direct application of research is very close to my heart. That is why my research is very practice-oriented. My focus is on improving medical education through changes in the training and further education of physicians, the aim being to improve the treatment of patients.

Because my research is very practice-oriented, I am convinced that the study of medicine in the Faculty of Medicine in Bern and the University Hospital Bern will continue to benefit from my research and probably even more so in the future.

Prof. Huwendiek, we wish you continued success.

More about the prize and the fellowship

The Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education KIPRIME is awarded every second year for outstanding research in medical education. The aim of the KIPRIME Fellowship is to nourish the next generation of KIPRIME winners through an inspirational curriculum of mentoring and development activities.

More about Sören Huwendiek's research

Junge Menschen beim Lernen

Sören Huwendiek is Head of the Department of Assessment and Evaluation at the Institute for Medical Education (IML).