Martin Wagner gives a talk on „Robust Inference for the Long Run“ on November 17, 2023 at the IWH Workshop on Forecasting in Times of Structural Change and Uncertainty in Halle (Saale), Germany.
This year’s Fulbright Prize in American Studies has been awarded to Dr. Marijana Mikić for her dissertation, entitled “Race, Space, and Emotion in Twenty-First-Century African American Literature,” which she completed in the English Department at the University of Klagenfurt in 2022. The dissertation combines insights from cognitive affective research, narrative theory, African American studies, and Black geographies to examine how African American storyworlds interrogate emotions as varied as fear, hope, shame, guilt, anger, and grief as bound up with racial ideologies and the geographic enforcement of these ideologies. Congratulations Marijana!
Marijana was honored for her achievement on 20 October 2023 at the annual conference of the Austrian Association for American Studies (AAAS), “Versions of America” at the University of Klagenfurt. You can watch the interview below to learn more about Marijana’s dissertation.
2023 Fulbright Prize in American Studies: Interview with Marijana Mikić – YouTube
Marijana developed her dissertation during her time as PhD Researcher on the research project “Narrative Encounters with Ethnic American Literatures” (2018-2022), which was directed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alexa Weik von Mossner and hosted by the English Department.
The Narrative Encounters project was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
The Fulbright Prize in American Studies is based on an annual competition managed by the AAAS. It is a means of acknowledging the enduring importance of American studies and the role of innovative research by young academics in Austria in contributing to the fulfillment of the Fulbright Program’s mandate to promote mutual understanding between the peoples of Austria and the United States of America. The purpose of this award is to recognize superior academic achievement in the field of American studies (Amerikanistik) in the broadest sense of the word and hence includes all relevant ancillary disciplines and departments at Austrian universities.
Guido Offermanns took part in the congress of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQUA) in Seoul (South Korea) from 27 to 31 August. With over 1,600 participants from 77 countries, a record number of visitors was set, making the congress ISQUA’s largest event to date. Over 350 health professionals shared and reflected on their knowledge with a focus on quality and safety in healthcare organisations. Discussions also took place on future-relevant topics such as sustainability and digitalisation.
In the first lecture, “Processes and structures affecting tumour board quality: a systematic review”, the results of a systematic review were presented, which illustrates the current state of research on the quality of work in multidisciplinary teams using the example of tumour boards. Tumour boards are interdisciplinary case reviews and discussions in oncology in which a treatment recommendation is made for patients. The aim is to find the best and evidence-based decision for the patients concerned in the multidisciplinary team. This is associated with a high financial, personnel and time expenditure, while the quality of the work in tumour boards is difficult to measure and prove. The key message of the systematic review is that tumour boards, which have to deal with complex tasks in the context of treatment decisions, must use targeted team development tools in order to optimise and coordinate the care process in the long term. In this way, it may be possible to improve cooperation within the teams on the one hand and improve the outcome of patient care on the other. However, this can pose a major challenge in the context of implementation in expert organisations, as different professional groups, each with different professional perspectives, come together in the tumour boards.
The poster “Tumour boards and their quality of processes, structures and outcomes from the experts’ perspective: a qualitative study in an academic hospital” shows the results of 56 interviews with health professionals. From this it was possible to derive themes that were incorporated into the development of an empirical instrument for measuring the quality of the work of teams.
Referring to this topic, the next presentation “Quality improvement in multidisciplinary cancer team meetings at a university hospital: First results of a self-assessment tool” dealt with results from an empirical study at an Austrian university hospital, which used a self-assessment tool to measure the increase in the effectiveness and efficiency of teamwork in tumour boards and promote the implementation of potential improvements. The results show the essential importance of team culture, the decision-making process, the regular presence of the disciplines, the formal structures in the tumour boards and the appropriate documentation with the resulting implementation of the recommendations in the clinics. In order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the work in the tumour boards, scientifically proven instruments for team development can be used in a targeted manner
Link to the conference and further information: https://isqua.org/events/seoul-2023.html
For further information please contact Guido Offermanns, guido [dot] offermanns [at] aau [dot] at
Pictures by Guido Offermanns and ISQUA
Guido Offermanns moderated the LSZ Health Congress in Loipersdorf on 4th and 5th July 2023 and also contributed with presentations in workshops. At the congress, the focus was on interdisciplinary exchange between decision-makers from the Austrian health and social care sectors. In a highly interactive atmosphere, the challenges in the fields of medicine, nursing, therapy, administration, IT, management, quality management and HR were discussed together, best practices were presented and valuable experiences were shared.
Guido Offermanns spoke on the topics “Does a higher degree of patient safety reduce costs? – What role does the patient safety culture play?” and “Negotiations – a core competence for managers – How can better negotiation results be achieved in interdisciplinary teams?
Andrea Schweiger from the Karl Landsteiner Institute for Hospital Organisation and PhD student at the Institute presented a paper on “Empirical data on the quality of work in multidisciplinary teams using a self-assessment instrument – approaches to improving work in teams”. Guido Offermanns was co-author here.
The students of the ULG Management in Health Organisations (https://mot.ac.at/universitaetslehrgaenge/gesundheit-und-soziales/management-in-gesundheitsorganisationen-emba/) were also represented at the congress and were thus able to inform themselves about the new developments in the health system and in the industry, make active contributions and network.
The next Health Congress will take place again in Loipersdorf on 2nd and 3rd July 2024.
Aftermovie Health Congress 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wpAkx0R4Q0
Review of the 2023 Congress and outlook for 2024: https://lsz.at/events/gesundheitskongress
University course Management in Health Organisations: https://mot.ac.at/universitaetslehrgaenge/gesundheit-und-soziales/management-in-gesundheitsorganisationen-emba/
