Ellen Aasum
Job description
Professor in the Cardiovascular Research Group
Academic responsibility for the teaching of Physiology at the Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences
Research interests
Research interests
My research activity has been related to cardiac metabolism in relation to the development of heart failure, focusing on metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes. We have used different mouse models of obesity/diabetes to study the effect of pharmacological treatments, exercise training (intensity-controlled treadmill running), and nutrient supplementation on the development of obesity/diabetes-induced cardiometabolic changes, and have extensive experience using the isolated perfused hearts for assessment of myocardial substrate utilization, oxygen consumption, mechanical function and efficiency/mechanoenergetics. In addition, we have experience measuring mitochondrial respiration using high-resolution respirometry (in cardiomyocytes, tissue homogenate, or isolated mitochondria).
I have been teaching physiology to medical, odontology, psychology, and biomedicine students since 1997 (including topics like electrophysiology, cardiovascular physiology, respiratory physiology, endocrinology, and muscle physiology). I have served as a member/leader of the committee for the first-year exam since 2003. In addition, I have been responsible for the curriculum and coordination of all teaching in Physiology at the Department of Medical Biology since 2008. I have given lectures for PhD students at international workshops and at courses arranged by the NORHEART (Norwegian PhD School of Heart Research) at UiT (2015, 2017) and UiO (2015-2024).
Post Docs: Anne Hafstad (2008-2012)* and Neoma T Boardman (2016-2019)* , Wei Li (2022-current)*
PhD students: Ole Jakob How (2006), Anne D Hafstad (2007)*, Ahmed M Khalid (2009), Neoma T Boardman (2011)*, Anje Hoper (2014), Wahida Salma (2015), Jim Lund (2015)*, Tina M Pedersen (2019)*, Kirsten Janssen (2021), Synne Hansen (2022), Pauke C Schots (2023)
Medical research students: Rune Sundset (2000), Martin Hagve (2012), Line Rossvoll (2017)*
About 30 master's and undergraduate medicine and biomedicine students
MED-1501 Medical school (Delemne 1.2 ) - Topics: electrophysiology, laboratory exercises in nerve conductance
MED-1501 Medical school (Course leader Delemne 1.4). Topics: respiratory physiology, cardiac physiology, laboratory exercises: cardiac electrophysiology (ECG), lung function and blood pressure
MED-2501 Medical school UiT (Delemne 2.6) - Topics: Synaptic transmission
MED-2510 Medical school UiT (Delemne 3.2, 3.3) - Topics: respiratory (pato)physiology, cardiac electrophysiology
MBI-3012 Master BioMedisin- Advanced methods in experimental biomedicine - Topics: Respirometry
MBI-3016 Master BioMedisin - Medical Physiology (Course leader) - Topic: advanced respiratory physiology
ODO-2009 Odontology - Topic: respiratory (pato)physiology
Member of research group / centre
CV
EDUCATION
1998 PhD, University of Tromsø, Norway
1992 Master of Science, University of Tromsø, Norway
1990 Bachelor of Science, University of Oslo, Norway
RESEARCH POSITIONS
RESEARCH POSITIONS
2009- Professor University of Tromsø
2011 (Oct-Des) Visiting Prof., University of Oxford, UK
2002 - 2008 Associate Professor University of Tromsø
2006 - 2007 Visiting scientist, University of Oxford, UK
1999 (Oct-Des) Visiting scientist, University of Calgary, Canada
1999 - 2002 Post. Doctoral research fellow, University of Tromsø
1993 – 1998 PhD. Student, University of Tromsø