#EBW24 previews: State-of-the-art speakers for Stakeholders in the spotlight: “Be aware of biobanking”
We are pleased to confirm the state-of-the-art speakers for the panel session: ‘Stakeholders in the spotlight: “Be aware of biobanking” – outreach and communication in and for biobanks’. Emma Hvitfeldt and Christian Bruzelius, from Biobank Sweden, and Verena Huth from the German Biobank Node (GBN) will be leading this session and we profile their abstract and biographies here. The session takes place on Thursday 16 May 2024 as part of the EBW24 programme.
Abstract: Communication – a tool for awareness and implementation of a new Biobank Act
In the beginning of 2023, a new Biobank Act came into force in Sweden. With less than six months to go before the actual implementation, Biobank Sweden (a national biobanking infrastructure) was assigned the challenging task of leading a national implementation project regarding the new legislation.
For this presentation, Emma Hvitfeldt and Christian Bruzelius from Biobank Sweden will showcase their journey of implementing a new Biobank Act in Sweden, which includes nationwide communication efforts towards healthcare, academia, and industry as well as biobanking professionals.
The presentation will highlight different examples of communication and outreach in the era of digitalisation, but also the importance of networking and collaboration to find joint solutions to common challenges in order to raise awareness of biobanking and implement change.
Emma Hvitfeldt
Emma Hvitfeldt is a communications officer with vast experience in national, regional, strategic, and operational communication within Life Science, focusing on research communication. She is currently employed at Biobank West, a regional unit for research support located at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.
Since 2018, Emma has been working with communication for the national biobank infrastructure Biobank Sweden. She is one of the key persons in the national project “Implementation of Biobank Act (2023:38)”, led by Biobank Sweden to nationally implement a new Biobank Act in Sweden.
Focusing on communication activities, her work within the national implementation project has included communication plans, advice to managers, film production, digital education, social media posts, and printed materials. These communication activities have been carried out in close collaboration with communication agencies, communications officers at the national Swedish website 1177.se, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Ethical Review Authority, and the Medical Products Agency.
Recently, Emma Hvitfeldt was invited as a speaker to the national biobank conference of Biobank Norway to give a presentation on “Increased research on biobank samples – how communication contributes”.
Contributing to advances in clinical research, better and more individualised treatments, improved health, and a Life Science sector that can continue to be an area of strength for Sweden is something Emma is passionate about.
Christian Bruzelius
Christian Bruzelius is an experienced professional in the biobanking field, currently serving as a Project Manager at Uppsala Biobank and for Biobank Sweden where he leads a number of national initiatives, such as the implementation of the Biobank Act (2023:38) and optimising processes for improved sample accessibility and data sharing. With a background in IT service management, Christian brings technical expertise to his role.
Verena Huth
Verena Huth has been responsible for communications and public relations at the German Biobank Node (GBN) since 2018. She specialises in strategic communication and addressing target groups in different media formats. Verena has been working in science communication since 2015 – before joining the GBN, she worked for the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) on topics such as food and chemical safety. With a degree in German Studies, she learned editorial work and online communication at a publishing house.