FIZ Talent Pool at PMU: Promoting Excellence in Research and Scientific Talent
"The key to success lies in finding the best people," says Bill Gates. Not a new insight, but undoubtedly true—and this is exactly the mission of the FIZ Talent Pool at the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU). The Talent Pool brings together the best researchers and young scientific talents from PMU and the University Hospital Salzburg. Equal attention is given to the respective research focus, individual competency profiles, and personnel resources, as well as to promoting education and career development.
To strengthen PMU’s scientific research and innovation, along with its partners, the two Research and Innovation Centers (FIZ) "Regenerative Medicine & Novel Therapies" and "Public Health & Health Services Research" were established in 2022. These centers serve as platforms and catalysts for collaboration between research groups from PMU and the University Hospital in various health science disciplines. The FIZ Talent Pool includes Senior Researchers, where research focus, competencies, and resources are key, and Junior Researchers, whose education and career development are supported.
One example is Mag. pharm. Stephanie Clemens, MA, MHC, PhD, and her project, “Final Destination – Pharmacists’ Role in Assisted Suicide.” This challenging yet crucial topic stems from the Department of Pharmaceutical Biology and Pharmacy at PMU’s Institute of Pharmacy. Assisted suicide was legalized in Austria in 2022, allowing terminally or severely ill patients to obtain a lethal medication for self-administration in pharmacies. The study investigates the challenges involved and how the quality and availability of this service can be improved. The review highlights international obstacles to assisted suicide, supplemented by surveys and interviews with Austrian pharmacists. The findings emphasize the need for improved guidelines, training, and addressing safety and ethical issues.
Further Junior Researcher Talent Pool grants were awarded to Julia Tevini, MSc, for her research on migraines (part of the Receptor Chemistry Tumor Metabolism Research Program at the University Hospital’s Department of Pediatrics, led by Univ. Prof. Dr. Barbara Kofler), and Janine Zwicklhuber, MSc, from the PMU Institute for Experimental and Clinical Cell Therapy. She also focuses on migraines—a widespread neurological condition affecting 10% of Austria’s population, with women disproportionately affected. While migraines are known to have hereditary influences, their exact causes remain largely unclear.
From the FIZ "Regenerative Medicine & Novel Therapies," the Senior Talent Pool grant went to MMag. Dr. Christine Lehner for her research at PMU’s Institute for Tendon and Bone Regeneration. Previously unknown cell types pose questions regarding tendon repair after acute injuries and chronic tendon degeneration without such injuries. The goal is to study these cells’ metabolic behavior and activated genes to better understand and treat tendon diseases.
The Senior Talent Pool grant in Public Health was awarded to Doz. Mag.a. Dr. Dagmar Schaffler-Schaden from PMU’s Institute of General Practice, Family Medicine, and Preventive Medicine. Studies reveal a low level of awareness and knowledge in primary care for older adults suffering from osteoporosis, sarcopenia, or obesity. The goal is to improve this awareness and enable general practitioners to provide active support, even without state-of-the-art diagnostic tools. Patients aged 70 and older are being included in the accompanying study.
// Translated with ChatGPT
