Today's interviewee is Kolbrún Káradóttir, senior biomedical scientist, at the Health Institute of South Iceland (HSU) in Selfoss. It is appropriate that Kolbrún was born on October 30, 1967, at the old hospital in Selfoss. After graduating from Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurlands, she began studying biochemistry at the Technical School of Iceland and graduated there at the end of October 1992. Since then, she has on the one hand added a diploma course in bacteriology and on the other hand completed a master's course in leadership and management from the University of Bifröst.

FOUR CHILDREN AND SIX GRANDCHILDREN
Kolbrún is married to Magnús Ólasyn, a technician at the engineering company Efla, and they have a lot of wealth at home, a total of four children and six grandchildren. We are curious about past jobs. "As a teenager, for example, I worked in fish processing and gardening, in a restaurant, and in general service jobs here and there. After graduation from FSU, I worked at Verslunarbanki Íslands until I started studying biomedical science. During my studies and after graduation, I worked as a biomedical scientist at Borgarspítali in Fossvogur for several years."

VIBRANT LEISURE HOURS
What about life outside of work; does she have any hobbies or passions? "I sang for more than twenty years with the Jórukór here in Selfoss, which was a very fun time. My husband and I have been ballroom dancing with great people for a long time, and it can be said that togetherness is more important than success on the dance floor. I really enjoy cycling and have been in the HSU cycling club for about 15 years and have gone on cycling trips both domestically and abroad. In January 2023, I then took some of my family on a very memorable cycling tour of Thailand. I'm a big family person and find nothing more enjoyable than spending time with them."

INTEREST IN FACTS
But why did she choose the career of a biomedical scientist? "I enjoyed all the sciences at FSU, especially biology related to the human body. After matriculation, I went to work in a bank, which I liked quite a bit at first. After a certain time there, I still felt that it was not something I wanted to do. In the spring of 1989, the Technical School began to advertise a special program in biomedical science, because attendance in the program had greatly decreased when AIDS appeared. When I studied the program, I saw that it involved a lot of science and technology studies as well as learning in detail about the functioning of the human body. This combination therefore suited my field of interest very well and I took the plunge."

ORGANIZATION AND QUALITY
Next, Kolbrún tells us about the work of a senior biomedical scientist at HSU in Selfoss. "The job of a senior biologist involves a lot of organizational work, such as making shift reports and ensuring that there is enough staffing in the department, as well as sorting staff into establishments. Internal and external quality control is very important in the laboratory, and the senior biomedical scientist is responsible for its presence and acts if necessary. The internal control involves measuring daily samples with a known result. The external control includes the fact that we receive samples with an unknown result from a company in Finland with several hundred laboratories in northern Europe exchange. We measure the samples, send the answers to Finland, and then get a comparison with parties that use the same research methods and can thus monitor how we are doing. The senior biologist is also responsible for monitoring developments in research, evaluating which research tools are best suited to the activity and which research makes sense to carry out at Selfoss."

12-MAN LABORATORY
We ask about her work unit and their project. "Twelve people work in the laboratory. Of these, eight are biomedical scientists, three are paramedics and one is receptionist. The laboratory's staff does a lot of blood sampling, especially in the laboratory's outpatient department, but also in other departments in Selfoss and the municipal health centers in Þorlákshöfn and Hveragerði. Most of the research is carried out here in Selfoss, but various special tests are sent to Landspítali National University Hospital and we take care of the finalization of those samples. We conduct research in clinical biochemistry, hematology, and bacteriology."