AASNE KARINE AARSAND

Dr Aarsand earned her medical degree at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Faculty of Medicine in 1999 and her doctorate at the University of Bergen, Norway in 2012. In 2006 she became a Specialist in Biological Chemistry (Clinical Chemistry). Dr Aarsand is Director of the Norwegian Porphyria Centre (NAPOS) at Helse Bergen HF, Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway. NAPOS is part of the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Rare Disorders (NKSD). The centre diagnoses all porphyria patients in Norway, and provides advice to healthcare professionals and patients concerning diagnosis, treatment and follow up. Dr Aarsand is also the Leader of the Norwegian Porphyria Registry, a national medical quality registry and is responsible for the European Porphyria Registry. She is also strongly involved in the European Porphyria Network External Quality Assessment Scheme (EPNET EQAS) which is a scheme especially designated for specialist porphyria laboratories worldwide. Furthermore, Dr Aarsand is chair of the Laboratory Working Group (LA-WG) in the European Porphyria Network (EPNET).

Dr Aarsand is also a Consultant at the Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Haukeland University Hospital and at the Norwegian Quality Improvement of Laboratory Examinations (NOKLUS) at Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Additionally, she is Chair of the Biological Variation Working Group and a member of the Task and Finish Group for the Biological Variation Database in the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM).

Dr Aarsand has broad expertise in all aspects of the porphyria, ranging from basic research to diagnosis and treatment. Her main research interests also include most aspects of the porphyrias, the evidence-based use of diagnostic markers and biological variation. Dr Aarsand is the author of several publications on porphyria in peer-reviewed clinical and scientific journals and two book chapters.