Professorial appointment strengthens REMEDY's focus on pediatric rheumatology

The appointment of Professor Helga Sanner at the University of Oslo marks both professional recognition and a clear strengthening of REMEDY's research on serious rheumatic diseases in children.

– The position is a recognition of many years of hard work, and is experienced as very stimulating, says Sanner.

Back to UiO – with research at the center

Although she has held a professorship at Oslo Nye Høyskole since 2020, it means a lot to her to be back in a position at UiO, where she also studied medicine and later was a clinical fellow. The professorship provides dedicated time for research, combined with teaching medical students in pediatric rheumatology.

– Teaching is not only about professional knowledge, but also about being good role models for future doctors. I particularly enjoy small-group teaching, where there is close dialogue with the students.

Children with chronic illness require long-term solutions

Sanner's research is based on the fact that children with serious, chronic rheumatic diseases live a long time with both the disease and its consequences. Therefore, prevention, early risk assessment and targeted treatment are central themes in her work.

– We still have large knowledge gaps, especially when it comes to the interaction between genetics and environment early in life.

From clinician to researcher – a turning point

Her path into research was not planned. When she chose rheumatology over 25 years ago, her primary desire was a clinical subject that could be combined with family life. An important turning point came in 2005, when she became a clinical fellow at the University of Oslo, affiliated with the Department of Rheumatology at the National Hospital.

The doctoral project on juvenile dermatomyositis was more extensive than strictly necessary, but laid the foundation for a national cohort that has later contributed to several doctoral degrees and international guidelines.

– It gave me early experience with guidance, something I quickly found great joy in.

Prevention starts early in life

Today, Sanner leads several large projects closely related to REMEDY. Among them is PREVENT-JIA, which investigates environmental factors early in life that may explain why childhood arthritis is so prevalent in Northern Europe. The project combines data from large pregnancy cohorts and health registries, and also studies how genetic risk and environment interact.

– If we are to succeed in prevention, we must understand the risk factors. This applies as much to arthritis in children as it does in adults.

PREVENT-JIA currently has two PhD students and two postdoctoral fellows.

– We are also concerned about gender differences, as JIA has a clear female predominance, especially in early childhood. This has formed the basis for a recently funded follow-up study. There, we will investigate the significance of the interaction between pregnancy-related inflammation, genetics and epigenetics for gender differences in JIA.

National cohorts and registries as a knowledge base

She also leads Nor-JDM, a national research cohort for children and adolescents with juvenile dermatomyositis, as well as the development of NOBAREV – a national quality and research registry for pediatric rheumatology with associated biobank. The registry is now being rolled out nationally and will be used for both quality improvement and research.

Building a research environment through supervision

For Sanner, recruiting and following up on young researchers is a central part of the work.

– I work closely with talented PhD students and postdoctoral fellows from various academic environments. It gives me great satisfaction at work and contributes to high quality research.

Interdisciplinary and international collaboration

Collaboration across disciplines and national borders, including through European and North American networks within pediatric rheumatology, is a prerequisite for handling complex data sets and advanced statistical analyses.

– These collaborations are crucial for the quality of the research we conduct.

Research for the future of patients

With the professorship, REMEDY gains increased prominence within pediatric rheumatology, both nationally and internationally.

– What motivates me most are the patients and the opportunity to contribute to new knowledge that can benefit children with rheumatological diseases, says Helga Sanner.