Radiologist Aðalbjörg Skarphéðinsdóttir is the Head of the Radiology Department at HSU, where she leads a strong team of nine specialists. Aðalbjörg was born and raised in Eyjar and returned there to work as a radiologist and raise her three children with her husband after completing her studies before returning to the mainland and working today at HSU in Selfoss. Aðalbjörg knows little better than handicrafts and book reading, which she often enjoys in audiobook form during walks. She tells us the staff is the best thing about the workplace and manages a strong team of nine specialists.

STRONG TEAM
The HSU Radiology Department has a strong, top-notch team. In Selfoss, there are six radiologists and one intern, and in Vestmannaeyjar islands there are two radiologists. At the HSU Health Center in Höfn, there is a nurse and a doctor who take care of X-rays there. The team is responsible for taking X-rays and CT scans in the district, which has about 30 thousand people and covers about a third of Iceland. Three X-ray machines and two CT scans are shared between the municipalities of Eyjar, Höfn, and Selfoss.

YOUR RANGE OF WORK?
,,My range of work includes overseeing the daily operations of the image analysis department, as the radiology department is formally called. This includes setting up shift schedules and supervising staffing. I also do daily work and work shifts at the department here in Selfoss."

BEST THING ABOUT THE WORKPLACE?
,,The best thing about the workplace is of course the colleagues. The staff here is great."

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
,,I was born in the Vestmannaeyjar Islands on January 5, 1976, and after attending traditional school in the Islands, I graduated with a matriculation examination from Fjölbrautskólinn there and later as a radiologist from the Technical University of Iceland in the spring of 2004."

PREVIOUS WORK?
,,I worked at various jobs alongside school and worked, for example, in a fish processing plant, a convenience store, a community center, and ÁTVR. I was also a team leader in youth work in Eyjar. But if I had to choose something other than what I do today, I would choose something related to knitting."

WHY A RADIOLOGY SCIENTIST?
"I found the job interesting from the first moment I met it and it also helped that it was easy to get a job with this education. My choice of study was therefore quite simple. I knew there was a shortage of radiologists, especially in Eyjar where I am from. As a result, I considered it very likely that I would be able to return home with my family after completing my studies and be able to raise my children on the islands. Having grown up there myself and knowing how good it is to be there, it was an easy decision to go home after my studies and it all worked out."

FAMILY STATUS?
"I am married to Magnús Ingi Eggertsson, a master carpenter who works as a foreman at the Árborg Service Center. We have three children and a dog."

LIFE AFTER WORK?
"My main hobbies are handicrafts, especially knitting and crocheting. I read a lot and listen to audiobooks. "I usually have a book in my ears when I go for walks, and my Kindle e-book is never far away. I also enjoy a good walk, especially when the weather is nice."

Aðalbjörg Skarphéðinsdóttir, Head of the Radiology Department at HSU.

From left to right are Guðrún Óskarsdóttir Andreasen, Þórkatla Hermannsdóttir, and Karlo Publico Mendoza (Brigs).

From left to right are Dóra Kristrún Brynjarsdóttir, Aðalbjörg Skarphéðinsdóttir, and Guðrún Óskarsdóttir Andreasen.

Axel Bragi Bjarnason in Eyjar prepares for a CT scan.