Meet your colleague: Søren Mikkelsen

Can you tell us about your work?

Our research explores every aspect of medical care delivered from the moment a patient dials 112 until they are formally handed over at the hospital.

This includes how the emergency dispatch centre identifies the problem, the medical advice given over the phone, any treatment provided by volunteer first responders, and the care delivered by ambulance personnel and prehospital physicians – all the way through to the hospital handover.

How long have you worked at SDU?

I’ve been an associate professor in the Department of Anaesthesiology almost ever since I moved to Odense in 2002, and I was appointed professor in 2018.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

 There are two things I find especially rewarding:

The first is seeing our research findings put into practice in real-world healthcare.

The second is following the journey of young students – from their first tentative enquiry about writing a Master’s thesis to eventually becoming PhD students and full-fledged researchers.

Tell us about a task you’ve completed that you’re particularly proud of

  I’m genuinely proud of having built the Prehospital Research Unit entirely from the ground up – and of seeing how far we’ve come six and a half years later.

Today, nearly 30 people are affiliated with the unit in one way or another – from students working on their very first research project to postdocs and associate professors who are now part of the team.

What’s your educational background – and how did you end up in this role?

 I’m a specialist in anaesthesiology.

Many years ago, I had a stroke of luck when I was unexpectedly offered a position with the EMS car team in Copenhagen. That’s where my interest in prehospital care really began to grow, and I stayed in that role for seven years.

In 2002, I moved to Odense, and when the EMS car service was being established here, I was given the responsibility for leading it.

Have you ever considered a different career path?

 I’ve known since upper secondary school that I wanted to become a doctor.

During my third semester, I worked with ventilated patients in an intensive care unit. The anaesthesiologists were incredibly kind to me, even though I was “just” a 20-year-old student.

I remember thinking: if this speciality attracts people who treat students with such generosity and respect, then it must be a wonderful field to work in. So no – I’ve never seriously considered any other career.

And if I had to choose again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I play ice hockey. I used to compete at elite level when I was younger, and these days I still play recreationally here in Odense – at least when I’m not sidelined by an injury, which, unfortunately, is happening more often these days.

I also work as the match doctor for our local professional ice hockey team. Aside from that, I have a real appreciation for ballet and classical music

.Have you seen, read or listened to anything recently that you’d recommend?

 I’m a big fan of Sissel-Jo Gazan’s books.

I read The Dinosaur Feather when it was first published in 2008, and as soon as I finished it, I went straight back to the beginning and read it all over again. I recently re-read it – and the exact same thing happened: I turned the last page and immediately started from page one.

It’s a brilliant book, and I think it resonated with me especially because I could recognise so much of the student environment in Copenhagen, where I studied myself.

What’s your favourite day trip destination?

I’ve spent countless hours at the ice rink in Odense.

Do you have a special talent that others might not know about?

I think I’m quite good at bringing people together – individuals who are highly skilled in their own fields – and getting them to collaborate. That’s been a real asset to our research unit, as there’s always someone in our network with the exact skills a particular project needs.

Do you have an exciting or unusual interest you’d like to share?

Ice hockey – a contact sport that’s almost a combat sport – is probably a bit more unusual than most people’s hobbies.After all, there are only about 6,000 of us playing it in all of Denmark.

I’d definitely recommend going to the rink to watch a game. It’s a sport you really have to experience live – on TV, it moves so fast you can’t even see the puck. Just make sure you’re on time. If you’re two minutes late, you might already have missed the first goals.