iSHARE: Graduate School for Health Research

Knowledge knows no bounds

Internationalization seems to be a magic word in modern science. These days, any self-respecting researcher maintains contact with fellow-scientists throughout the world. SHARE is also working on its international profile. �The scientific stage extends way beyond the Netherlands.�

Risk factors for psychosocial problems

In early 2005, after having graduated as a psychologist, Merlijne Jaspers enthusiastically applied for a PhD post on a research project studying the role of the youth care services in the early detection of psychosocial problems. It was not only the subject, but also the huge scale of the research that attracted Merlijne, as well as the promise of multidisciplinary involvement throughout the PhD project. Her research was first supervised by Gea de Meer, but Menno Reijneveld and Andrea de Winter are now her supervisors.

Prof. Jan Geertzen (23 to 27 March)

Monday 23 March The day begins with a trainers' meeting for trainers from the UMCG Rehabilitation Medicine department (my last meeting as a fellow-trainer), the trainer in Rehabilitation Medicine at Rehabilitation Friesland and two trainee rehabilitation specialists. These are always interesting meetings with a political undertone. One of the subjects on today's agenda is the forthcoming visitation of the entire training circuit for rehabilitation medicine. The visitation is planned for 2 and 3 April 2009 and as with any visitation, these will be tense days.This is followed by a final interview with a trainee specialist who is due to start a period training as a child rehabilitation specialist here as of 1 April 2009. The head of training, Dr Karel Maathuis, is present during the interview, after which the diploma (the so-called C-form) is signed.In the morning I also take part in the Working Group on Periphery Nerve Damage, and carry out a joint consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon.The afternoon is filled with my weekly ‘Complex Regional Pain Syndrome' clinic and a few appointments with PhD students. A nice full day. Tuesday 24 March Tuesday is completely taken up by meetings. Not a patient in sight. In the morning, I have a meeting with the rehabilitation specialists from the Groningen location, followed by a meeting with the Governing Board of the Centre for Rehabilitation, which lasts more than three hours. All the ins and outs are discussed with the other board members, Ytje Jensma and Dr Rienk Dekker. This is followed by a performance appraisal interview with a trainee specialist, after which I have three more appointments with PhD students. At the end of the day, I pay a visit to the Head of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Martini Hospital to discuss collaboration at various levels. Wednesday 25 March On 25 March, I leave home early to drive to Den Bosch, which is where I was born. I have been invited by our scientific association, the Netherlands Association of Rehabilitation Specialists or VRA (of which I am chair), to give a speech for a colleague who is retiring. I have been allocated forty minutes to summarize the thirty years during which this colleague worked at the Grootziekengasthuis (which later became the Jeroen Bosch hospital), enlivened with various personal anecdotes. As is frequently the case, I prepared my presentation together with my daughters, who chose the music. At the end of my presentation, I pin the ‘golden VRA badge’ onto my colleague's lapel as a sign of appreciation for all his hard work for our scientific association. Later on, he is also conferred with a knighthood by the Mayor of Den Bosch. My eldest daughter wanders in during the reception, after which we go to visit my parents in Den Bosch before embarking on our return journey to Groningen. Thursday 26 March A happy start to the day as it is my wife's birthday. It is also the day on which our department must make a good impression on more than 120 trainee specialists, who will be coming to Groningen to take a course entitled ‘Amputation and Prosthesiology of the Lower Extremity' as part of the national training and refresher day. All the lectures are of a very high standard, so we have done well. Now we just have to wait for the evaluation from the Wenckebach institute. All the guests dine out in the evening and I take my family to a restaurant in Assen. Friday 27 March I have been asked to give a lecture on 27 March on behalf of the NERASS (a scientific organization largely comprising rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons and rehabilitation specialists) about the implementation of the multidisciplinary guideline CBO Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I. The conference is being held in De Heerlickheijd in Ermelo, not unfamiliar to us, as our annual VRA conference is always held there. The lunch is an opportunity to ‘network’ as they call it. Once again, I spend much of today at the wheel, which fortunately gives me time to deal with my backlog of telephone calls. Looking back, this was a very interesting and varied week in which I was able to successfully represent the department/Centre for Rehabilitation on various occasions. Prof. Jan H.B. Geertzen

Confusing times

These days, everyone is quick to say that we are living in confusing times. Crisis all around and endless discussions about the analysis of present-day problems and the most appropriate solutions. Researchers are probably having a bad time too. Just think about it. The competition is heating up and the universities that employ them are expected to be rated highly, if not the most highly-rated.This requires extra effort on the part of researchers; but they could still do better, is an often heard cry. Budgets for research in the Netherlands are under pressure and international comparisons show that they are far less generous than in other countries. At the same time, thanks to globalization many people in the Netherlands subscribe to the view that the knowledge economy is an important lifeline: innovation through ground-breaking research is one of the driving forces for maintaining our prosperity and wellbeing. Scientist, show us your wares! We are expected to market ourselves nonstop on the international market for research and scientific education; by attracting talented people to our country and by collaborating with respectable knowledge centres throughout the world. Research carried out in international collaboration is more pioneering. All this pressure puts a tremendous strain on the work of individual researchers and research departments. Although ambitions are not always directly rewarded with funding, the opportunities are there to be had. Any scientific professional worth his salt will find inventive ways of responding to these developments and create new opportunities. As you know, Dutch scientists are up there at the top; we perform extremely well without losing sight of our will to keep achieving. We see this in Groningen and also in SHARE, but it is more than simple ambition; we see that the quantity and quality of our scientific output is really on the rise. Collaboration with researchers from other countries and the arrival of large numbers of foreign PhD students are spurring us on to bigger and better things. Perhaps these 'confusing times' are actually nothing new. But to be honest, it would be a lot less confusing if the government could bring itself to honour this high level of ambition with clear policy and cash on the nail. We are ready and waiting.

Coronary heart disease from a psychosocial perspective; socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities among Slovak patients

Dr. Z. �kodov� (Zuzana)

The GRONORUN study; Incidence, risk factors, and prevention of injuries in novice and recreational runners

Dr. I. Buist (Ida)

Cooperation between GP and specialist; What do the patients and doctors think?

"�Patient and GP: specialist must provide better and faster information' "

Dr. A.J. Berendsen (Annette)

The GALM effect study; Changes in physical activity, health and fitness of sedentary and under-active older adults aged 55-65

Dr. J. de Jong (Johan)

Drug use in pregnancy; exploring the field of DMARDs in pregnancy

"�Drug use in pregnancy: anti-rheumatics investigated!�"

Dr. F. Vroom (Fokaline)

A multilevel perspective of patients and general practitioners

"�A plea for the multi-level method, a better methodological approach'"

Dr. R.E. Stewart (Roy)