Copenhagen Honours College - Diabetes - Københavns Professionshøjskole

Logoer: Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy, Region H Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Københavns Professionhøjskole

If you are passionate about diabetes and research, are a student in the Biomedical Laboratory Science (BLS) Programme and wish for extra immersion and challenges within the subject of diabetes, you can apply for admission to KP’s talent programme: Copenhagen Honours College DIABETES.

It has been developed and made possible in collaboration with three unique partners:

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (BHDI/Baker) in Melbourne
Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC/Steno)
Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy (DDEA)

The programme will be launched in the spring semester of 2024.

With this programme, selected BLS students are given the opportunity to challenge their competencies through increased knowledge within laboratory and research, and by gaining greater insight in patients with a chronic disease like diabetes. As graduates, they will become professional ambassadors by taking part in technological developments and developing efficient processes to run our healthcare system using the latest technology and insight.

The talent programme in diabetes

Copenhagen Honours College – Biomedical Laboratory Science (CHC-BLS) follows the talent decree (BEK no. 597 of 08/03/2015), as an additional workload of 30 ECTS points will be added to the general education of 210 ECTS points. It is called a talent programme as it requires exceeding engagement within the programme.

It is organised with challenging activities, which provide unique opportunities nationally and internationally to develop and strengthen knowledge, skills and competencies within diabetes and research for future fruitful work in the healthcare system to benefit diabetes patients.

The purpose of CHC-BLS is to train BLS students with specialized skills in biomedical diagnostics in relation to patients diagnosed with diabetes. The programme will contribute to biomedical laboratory scientists who translate theory, scientific work and achieved research results into clinical practice in the field of diabetes.

Upon completion of the programme, documentation for the extracurricular 30 ECTS points is obtained as an appendix to the diploma. It will appear as “Graduation with distinction” within diabetes.

The CHC-BLS programme, with its scope of 30 ECTS points, has a duration of 2 years, from the 4th to the 7th term, alongside the general education.

Honours students get the opportunity to develop their unique potential and network with committed and dedicated colleagues in inspiring professional and research environments nationally at Steno, DDEA and KP, as well as internationally at Baker.

The clinical honours research internships in term 6 and 7 take place at Steno/Baker with:

Professor Flemming Pociot
Professor Jørgen Rungby
Professor Sam El-Osta

Honours students as well as general biomedical laboratory science students will have the pleasure of being lectured by professors, researchers, PhDs from Baker/Steno and Honorary Lecturers Dr. Ishant Khurana and Dr. Scott Maxwell from the El-Osta research group at Baker.

Ishant Khurana and the 2 first honorary students at kick-off days at Steno. Photo: Jane Aunsbjerg Villadsen.

The extra 30 ECTS points are divided into theoretical and clinical ECTS points:

Building evidence-based knowledge and insight into diabetes and diabetes research via journal clubs, literature studies, review writing, as well as seminars, presentations, workshops, case competitions, participation in conferences and symposia held and organized by Steno, Baker, DDEA and KP.
Building skills and strategies to promote self-regulated learning (Pintrich, 2004).
International research internship at Baker with Professor Sam El-Osta in the Human Epigenetics team or national research internship at Steno with Professor Flemming Pociot or Professor Jørgen Rungby.

In addition, as an Honours student, you are expected to participate in non-ECTS-crediting activities, such as various alumni and dissemination activities.

Pedagogical principles

The honours programme is based on three pedagogical principles:

A strong working community where honours students get supervisors from both the clinical and the theoretical part. A professional working community is achieved alongside fellow students, alumni, teachers, supervisors and professors at a high professional level with rich opportunities to collaborate, network, experiment and test new ideas.
A strengthened professional foundation based on an enriched curriculum, should strengthen the professional foundation and nurture curiosity. This is achieved through greater in-depth expertise in diabetes and working with more complex issues from and in practice.
Responsibility for the task as honours students are responsible for planning, monitoring and overseeing various study activities, as well as co-developing new solutions and measures in collaboration with professionals.

Become a student at CHC-BLS DIABETES

The talent programme is for BLS honours students at University College Copenhagen who have the ability and will make an extra effort in their education and later in solving the challenges that the field of practice faces with a healthcare system in rapid technological development.

Honours students are expected to:

Be professionally engaged, dedicated and genuinely curious about diabetes and research in the field.
Be full of initiative, flexibility and dare to take initiative.
Have a desire to make a difference for people with diabetes.
Become part of a professional and social community with other honours students (alumni), supporting each other’s personal and professional development.

The application deadline is in the 3rd semester. Applicants must submit a motivated application, CV, clinical reports, grades and relevant recommendations. Honours courses are only created if there are competent applicants.

Students can only be selected for this talent programme if, at the time of selection, the student follows the planned study time on the BLS programme. Students who no longer follow the procedure or meet the requirements set by the institution are discharged from the talent programme.