Aina Westrheim Ravna
Job description
Research on drug targets using molecular modeling techniques.
Teaches pharmacology for medical students, odontology students, nurse students and biology students.
Communicates own research and popular scienctific topics such as chocolate, spices and traditional sami medicine (shamanism).
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Member of research group
CV
EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
1988 Student at the Los Altos High School, Los Altos, CA, USA.
1991 Examen artium 1991 from Kongsbakken Videregående Skole, Tromsø.
1996 Cand.mag. (mathematic-natural scientific), University of Tromsø autumn with exams from the University of Copenhagen, 1995, fitted into cand.mag. degree: Inorganic Chemistry, Valence Theory (Introduction to fundamental conceptions of quantum mechanics) and Physical Organic Chemistry.
1997 Maternity leave
1999 Cand.scient., University of Tromsø.
2000→Teaching pharmacology for of medical students, odontology students, biology studentsat bachelor-, master and doctorate level, and student nurses.
2000→Supervision of master students, bachelor students and medical students.
2003 Dr.scient. (PhD), University of Tromsø, 17th October 2003. Title of thesis: ”Molecular modelling of secondary transporters and their interactions with cocaine and SSRIs”.
Exams from the University of Tromsø included in the dr.scient degree:
FA-333 Pharmacokinetics
K-342 Protein structure
BIO-481 Basis course in Biomedical Research
Exams from the University of Oslo included in the dr.scient degree:
O-3768 Mechanisms of Cellular Signal Transduction
(dissertation completed 9 months ahead of scholarship ending)
2004 “Universitetspedagogisk seminar” (UPS) at the University of Tromsø.
2004 Temporary scholarship from the University of Tromsø (autumn 2004)
2005-2009 Post.doc position granted by The Norwegian Cancer Society doing research on ABC transporters
2007 Maternity leave
2008→Supervision of Ph.D. students.
2009 Research stay at Ruben Abagyan's lab (Molsoft/The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, USA) (7 weeks).
2009→Researcher position at the University of Tromsø (permanent position from February 2011)
2011 Research stay at Ruben Abagyan's lab (University of California (UCSD), La Jolla, USA) (3 months)
Teaching
Lectures given at the University of Tromsø:
• Course for specialization in Clinical Pharmacology (Den norske lægeforening):
o “Neurotransmitter transporters”, 1 hour, spring 2009.
o “Pharmacological Mechanisms”, 1 hour, 2004, 2006 and 2009.
o “Molecular modeling as a tool for development of novel drugs”, 1 hour autumn
2006 and 2009.
• CNS pharmacology
o Odontology students, 11 hours, spring 2009.
o Medical students, 2 hours, spring 2009.
• Pharmacology for “medisin grunnfag”, 6 hours, autumn 2002 and 2003.
• Bio-354 (Pharmacology and Toxicology), 9 hours, autumn 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008.
• Bio-262 (General and Human Toxicology), 10 hours, spring 2001, 2002 and 2003.
• Bio-2301 (General Pharmacology and Toxicology), 12 hours, spring 2004. (Course
responsible).
• Bio-3305 (Toxicology), 6 hours, spring 2004.
• Bio-8305 (Research frontiers in molecular and structural biology): 1 hour (”The
homology modeling approach”), autumn 2006.
• Workshop: ”Introduction to molecular modelling”, 1 hour (“Homology based modelling
of drug targets”), autumn 2005.
• Sami traditional medicine for
o Medical students, spring 2005, 2009 and 2010.
o Bio2301 students, spring 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009.
o Students enrolled in master study of indigenous people, autumn 2005, spring
2007, and spring 2009.
Lectures given at Tromsø University College:
• Pharmacology for student nurses, 4 hours, spring 2002 and spring 2011.
Supervision:
• PhD students Lena Aronsen, Inger Lindin and Mari Gabrielsen.
• Master student Elin Øien Ørvoll.
• Supervision assistance of master students Maja Karlsen Linchausen and Marit Livik.
• Supervision assistance of medical student at summer stipend, University of Tromsø, 8
weeks, summer 2000.
• Supervision of students on semester projects in the course Bio-2301 (General
Pharmacology and Toxicology) spring 2004 and spring 2010.
• Training of master- and doctoral students in use of software for molecular modeling and
computational chemistry at the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of medical
biology, University of Tromsø.
Colloquium teaching and pharmacokinetic exercises:
• Pharmacology for medical students (Course I, Introduction to Biological Medicine,
Pharmacology), 8 hours, autumn 2000, 2002 and 2003.
• Bio-354 (Pharmacology/Toxicology), 16 hours, autumn 2002 and 2003.
Maternity leaves
Maternity leave from the 1st of March 1997 until the 7th of January 1998, and from the 30th of
July 2007 until the 20th of April 2008.
Other experience
- Indre Sør-Troms Distriktsmuseum; summer employment as museum assistant in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995.
- ”Skaidi - Informasjonsavisa for høyere utdanning i Nord-Norge”; summer employment in 1994 as journalist.
- Information speech about master studies at the Department of Pharmacology, University ofTromsø, for new students, February 2000.
- External examiner at “Medisin grunnfag” exam spring 2002.
- Member of two judging committees; employment of PhD student at the Department of Molecular Biotechnology, IMB, University of Tromsø, spring 2002, and employment of PhD student at the Department of Pharmacology, IMB, University of Tromsø, autumn 2003.
- Responsible for social activities during the course for specialization in ClinicalPharmacology: “Pharmacological Mechanisms” (Den norske lægeforening), February 2004.
- Preparation of answer to inquiry concerning inquiry note about “Naturmiddelutredningen” from the Ministry of Health in March 2004.
- Referee for journals (Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (CMLS), Protein Science, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Biochemical Pharmacology, Journal of Molecular Modeling, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry)
- External examiner at Bio-8305 (Research frontiers in molecular and structural biology), autumn 2006.
REFERENCES
Professor Svein Dahl, Institute of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø, phone number 77644704
Professor Georg Sager, Institute of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø, phone number 77644708
Professor Ingebrigt Sylte, Institute of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø, phone number 77644705