The Department of Health Sciences in Gjøvik consists of approximately 130 employees, and is organised in the following units; Unit of Nursing, Unit of Health, Technology and Society, Unit of Paramedicine and Advanced Clinical Nursing, Centre for Care Research and Centre for Simulation and Patient Safety. Center for Care Reasearch, Eastern Norway is integrated with national tasks given by the Ministry of Health. 

With a large number of health related educations and research activities, the department is in an exciting development with high attention to education and research quality.

Research

The focus of the department's research is knowledge that will strengthen NTNU as a nationally recognized leader in innovation in the care field as well as in universal design. Other thematic priority areas are research that strengthens the knowledge foundation within patient safety, clinical nursing, gerontology, health promotion and community care, health care research and education quality. Read more on the Institutes research work here.

Education

The department's education areas currently represent nursing (BA and MA), occupational therapy (BA), radiography (BA), and paramedicine (BA). In addition, the faculty offers educational programs in prehospital work (National paramedic), palliative care, interdisciplinary guidance, musical therapy and mindfulness. The department collaborates with Lillehammer University College on National innovation school for the municipal sector. The department has formalized a cooperation on PhD with Karlstad University (Nursing), University of Stavanger (patient safety) and Innlandet University College (service innovation, public-private). The education areas are areas of expertise that are all considered important and necessary contributions to meeting future welfare challenges. 

Center for Simulation and Patient Safety is an integrated unit in the department. The Simulation Centre is acknowledged as one of the Nordic countries’ leading simulation centres with regard to health services. It was awarded The Ministry of Education and Research prize for quality in education in 2012. Simulation as a learning method has proven to be a valuable educational tool in training of health personnel. It facilitates goal-oriented education and training, without exposing patients to danger, as no actual patients are involved. Internationally, there is now a strong focus on simulation as a learning tool, and many studies reporting the positive learning outcomes derived from it have been published.

Innovation in care

Innovation in the care field is an important priority area which includes service innovation, development and use of welfare technology. Welfare technology includes health care services, service recipients and the use of technology to enhance quality and improve efficiency in the service.

Welfare technology will simultaneously strengthen the recipient's quality of life through greater extent of independence, which will promote health and prevent the need for public services. Development of welfare technology as an area of ​​knowledge requires contributions from various fields and professions.