Mandema Stipendium: Interview with four AIOS about the combination of research and clinical medicine
Many researchers follow a PhD program within the UMCG, but also after a PhD there are many opportunities to combine research with a clinical career in medicine. In collaboration with the UMCG, the university of Groningen offers a mandema stipendium to talented AIOS (physicians in training to become a medical specialist). This personal scholarship offers physicians with a PhD the chance to set up their own research line in addition to their clinical training to become a medical specialist. Through this scholarship, AIOS receive extra time for research during their training and a budget of money to spend on their projects. Within the department of cardiology there are four AIOS who are currently in the possession of a mandema stipendium: Jozine ter Maaten, Wouter Meijers, Laura Meems en Thomas Gorter. In this interview you can read about how these four physicians combine their research with their clinical training.
From PhD to mandema
Jozine ter Maaten is focusing within her research on acute heart failure and the interaction with kidney function. ”After my PhD I was still very enthusiastic about the topic of my research and our studies had also led to important results which I wanted to pursue further.” During the first year of her cardiology training she first focused on her clinical work, but found out that she was able to successfully combine her training with research. With the mandema stipendium she performed a prospective study on renal flow in acute heart failure during her post-doc in Gent (Belgium). Jozine now works on a prospective study on the improvement of the treatment of acute heart failure based on urine sodium levels. “My biggest motivation is to improve treatment options for patients with acute heart failure”.
Wouter Meijers investigated the underlying mechanisms of heart failure during his PhD and he focused on the role of biomarkers in preclinical and clinical studies. He developed special interest in the interactive research field of cardiology and oncology, the cardio-oncology. He tries to unravel this field of research by approaching it from different perspectives, as physician and as scientist. ”Since one year we have a special outpatient clinic in cardio-oncology, where we see patients who are suffering from both heart failure and cancer at the same time. One of the things we do in this outpatient clinic is that we collect blood with the purpose to discover new biomarkers in this population”. Wouter hopes to find new targets for the treatment of both heart failure and cancer.
Thomas Gorter was also able to expend his PhD to a post-doc project by his mandema stipendium. He wrote a PhD on the mechanisms of right ventricle heart failure in patients with heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). During his PhD he discovered that pulmonary hypertension plays an important role in the development of this disease. During his current post-doc research, he is expending his research and is now also investigating the role of obesitas in patients with HFpEF. “Obesitas is a very frequent comorbidity in heart failure and in particularly in HFpEF. Right now I am focusing on the potential negative effects of a high amount of epicardial fat on the heart.”
Laura Meems was fascinated by cardiology research after finishing her PhD, but did not see many options the expend the research within her PhD topic on ‘vitamine D and heart failure’. Therefore, Laura decided to work on a post-doc in the United States and when she came back to the department she started a new project within the same research group. “I am still focusing on heart failure, but with my mandema scholarship I now look into sex-specific differences: It has been known that heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is more prevalent in males while heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is more prevalent in females. In several animal models we are currently investigating the mechanisms behind the development of heart failure and the differences between men and women.”
“I always try to understand the mechanism behind the disease. That is why the combination of basic research and clinical medicine is so valuable.”
The opportunities of the mandema scholarship
Wouter: “The mandema scholarship is ideal when you want to combine your clinical training with research. It offers you the opportunities and the possibilities to set up your own research group.” Laura explains that the scholarship enables her to spend one day every week just on her mandema projects. “This day is protected for my research and I am able to spend in on my research projects completely.” But there are many ways to implement your research projects once you are in the possession of the mandema scholarship: Thomas has divided his research days in a different way. “I choose to cluster my mandema-days. Every five weeks I have a whole week to spend on research. This way I keep my continuity in the clinic but I can also make progress in my research.”
Supervising PhD students
Another part of their job is supervising their own PhD students: Jozine was able to hire her own PhD student with her mandema scholarship. “Being a researcher is much broader than just doing the research itself. Supervising (PhD) students is one of the aspects I like most about it.” Laura is also supervising two PhD students who work on several experimental projects within her mandema project. “It is a lot of fun to be involved in research projects as a supervisor. This asks for different qualities and also challenges you in a new way”.
In addition to providing supervision, the mandema scholarship also offers the opportunity of receiving supervision. “In the mandema project you have to find your own mentor, which is a professor from a different department. The opportunity to discuss your career choices and life in general with a researcher with a whole different perspective can be very valuable.”
“Sometimes you have great ideas and vision but not all the opportunities. That is why it is so great that the UMCG mandema stipendium enables you to flourish as a researcher.”
Combination of research and clinic
The four AIOS agree that that the combination of research and clinical duties can be very valuable. Wouter and Laura mention the benefits of combining translational research with the clinic. Laura: “I always try to understand the mechanism behind the disease. That is why the combination of basic research and clinical medicine is so valuable.”
Thomas explains that the combination of the two aspects of his work is important for him because he witnesses the consequences and impact of the diseases he investigates on a daily basis in the clinic: “Obesitas and HFpEF are serious problems in our society and we see the consequences of these diseases in the hospital every day.” Jozine adds that the combination of the two is actually complementing each other: “Working in both fields teaches you skills which you can use in other parts of your medical career, such as the interpretation of study designs and results of research.”
Why Groningen Cardiology?
Laura: “Everybody in our department receives the chance to start a project, whether you are a bachelor student, master student or beginning PhD student. Within the existing research groups, individual researchers can develop their own skills and work on their own projects.” Jozine shared the same experience with us, and adds: “Sometimes you have great ideas and vision but not all the opportunities. That is why it is so great that the UMCG mandema stipendium enables you to flourish as a researcher.”
