NIHES at a glance RESEARCH TRAINING IN MEDICINE AND THE HEALTH SCIENCES

Transcription

1 NIHES at a glance RESEARCH TRAINING IN MEDICINE AND THE HEALTH SCIENCES a new era of scientific discoveries what are your ambitions?

2 NIHES at a glance RESEARCH TRAINING IN MEDICINE AND THE HEALTH SCIENCES A NEW era of scientific discoveries what are your ambitions? From the Scientific DirectoR 4 In the years ahead, important discoveries will be made... Our Master of Science programmes 11 We offer a range of Master of Science programmes... TOP RESEARCH-TRAINING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 16 We prepare our students for international careers... RESEaRCH and TRaINING PaRTNERSHIPS 19 We re continuously expanding our network of partner universities... Erasmus Summer ProGRAMME 20 Each year, the Erasmus Summer Programme provides international students... in summary 25 Since its foundation in 1991, NIHES has become a leading international centre... The five best reasons for choosing NIHES 27 You ll acquire specialized scientific knowledge and high-level research skills... We prepare our students for international careers as researchers, executives or advisors in clinical medicine, drug research, public health and health-policy development. 2 3

3 From the Scientific Director In the years ahead, important discoveries will be made in the medical sciences. Some of them will be made by NIHES partner institutes, who are now conducting a huge amount of strategic medical research. Here are just six examples: Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam (Erasmus MC) is the driving force behind Generation R, an ongoing cohort study that s looking at the growth, development and health of 10,000 children. At the other end of the age spectrum is the Rotterdam Study: since its establishment in 1990, this has examined the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for major chronic diseases in thousands of people aged 55 and above. The Department of Public Health of Erasmus MC coordinates Eurocadet, a project within the EU s Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. Contributing to the prevention of cancer in Europe by studying differences in cancer risk-factor prevalence and cancer occurrence, this project identifies effective preventive strategies, and examines the success of their implementation. As well as estimating the prevalence and impact of the five main determinants of cancer smoking, excessive alcohol use, low fruit and vegetable consumption, overweight, and physical activity (or inactivity) it also examines the socio-economic determinants of health and health-related behavior. 4 5

4 Erasmus MC is a participant in the European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology (ENGAGE), a research project funded by the European Commission. Under ENGAGE, genetic and genomic epidemiology data generated in a wide range of population cohorts are used to develop new clinical applications. This work enables European researchers to identify large numbers of susceptibility genes that influence metabolic, behavioral and cardiovascular traits, and to study the interactions between genes and life-style factors. Erasmus MC participates in Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium. The primary aim of genome-wide association studies is to identify novel genetic loci associated with interindividual variation in the levels of risk factors, the degree of subclinical disease, or the risk of clinical disease. The requirement for large sample sizes and the importance of replication have served as powerful incentives for scientific collaboration. The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology Consortium and collaborating non-member studies or consortia provide an excellent framework for the identification of the genetic determinants of risk factors, subclinical-disease measures, and clinical events. The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) coordinates the International BRCA1/2 Carrier Cohort Study (IBCCS). This prospectively estimates the risks of breast, ovarian, and other cancers in the Netherlands, and assesses the lifestyle and genetic factors that may modify these risks. (NuGO). Nutrigenomics examines diet and its contributions to the development of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and other diseases. Whether your interests are etiological or methodological, you ll be able to undertake research in your field of choice. You can work with the databases available within NIHES, use your own research findings, or link your study with other university or industry-owned databases whatever your needs dictate. There s an enormous demand for students to work with the findings of such cohort studies worldwide. Thanks to work like yours, we re expecting a steady flow of new scientific publications and, we hope, many new discoveries! Do you want to add an international dimension to your career as a researcher in medicine and the health sciences? To combine research and clinical work? Or are you seeking to maximize your chances of qualifying for a PhD research project? Our research training is designed for both. And whatever your ambition whether you intend to work as a scientist in academia, the public sector or industry we ll provide you with the knowledge and expertise you need. Health matters Health matters for patients, their families and for whole populations. This, in a nutshell, is the raison d être of the Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences (NIHES). Our work has three main objectives: to help identify the determinants of health and disease, to find factors that contribute to the efficiency of health services, and to further develop methods for acquiring and interpreting medical data. The Netherlands Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is one of 22 partner institutes at the heart of the European Nutrigenomics Organisation So, how do we do this? In three ways. Firstly, by pooling experts and expertise in quantitative medicine and the health sciences from four research centres at 6 7

5 key universities and institutes in the Netherlands: Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. Secondly, we do it by collaborating with our global network of partner institutes. This enables us to remain at the forefront of international developments and to support the cross-border mobility of students and teachers. And, thirdly, we do it by encouraging young scientists from the Netherlands and abroad to participate in our research training programmes. It s not just the choice of disciplines that s wide: there s also a nearly unparalleled pool of potential supervisors. So you won t just find the right institute you ll also find the right person to guide you through your studies. After my graduation from econometrics in Poland, I decided to move to medicine. My study in epidemiology at NIHES is the most important event in my professional life. I wrote a book, together with one of my professors, which is still the only clinical epidemiology book in my country. Teaching epidemiology and biostatistics to medical doctors in Poland is very important, since these subjects are almost absent at medical faculties. I try to fulfill the gap. Dr. Katarzyna Szamotulska, MSc NIHES Master of Science in Epidemiology National Research Institute of Mother and Child Department of Epidemiology Warsaw, Poland It is therefore with great pleasure that I present NIHES at a glance, which will introduce you to the Master of Science programmes and short courses on offer at NIHES. With MSc students and PhD candidates coming from all corners of the world to participate in research training, NIHES is a leading institute in its field worldwide. If you share our dedication to health and wish to join the international community of health scientists: welcome! NIHES will give you a wonderful opportunity to make a contribution to outstanding research and also to enjoy yourselves while doing so. We hope you will join us. Prof. Albert Hofman, MD, PhD Scientific Director, Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences 8 9

6 Our Master of Science programmes We offer a range of Master of Science (MSc) programmes in quantitative medicine and the health sciences. These include one-year and two-year programmes: One year full-time or two-year part-time programme in Health Sciences, two-year full time programme in Health Sciences, two-year fulltime programme in Clinical Research (offered by Erasmus MC jointly with NIHES), two year full-time programme in Medical Informatics. Roughly half of the curriculum is dedicated to courses and the other half to research. By combining compulsory programme-specific courses and elective courses, you can tailor your programme to your interests and professional needs. It has been my dream to become a real doctor. It was decisive for my career. I look forward to pursuing my PhD programme and combining my clinical practice with highlevel clinical research. I want to be a professor in the future and share my knowledge and experience with medical students. Dr. Ningping Zhang, MSc NIHES Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University Shanghai Medical Center, China In the practical research phase, you ll work on a project under the guidance of a personal tutor. Your research might, for example, cover paediatric studies, the side-effects of drugs, a major neurological or cardiovascular disease, the social or endocrinological determinants of health and disease, or end-of-life decisions in medical practice. You ll conclude your research by writing an article for publication in an international scientific journal. At NIHES you ll gain a solid theoretical, methodological and statistical basis for designing and conducting research. As well as learning how to publish your results, you ll be prepared for any one of a number of careers in international research, for example, or as an executive or consultant in public health, clinical medicine, drug research, or health-policy development

7 If you re interested in research and have your eye on a PhD; if you re a health professional, or already have a Bachelor s or Master s degree in a relevant field, please get in touch. Opportunities for Bachelor s graduates If you lack research experience, but already have a Bachelor s degree in a discipline related to clinical medicine and public health, take a look at our twoyear, full-time MSc programmes: 1. Clinical Research 2. Health Sciences With specialisations in Epidemiology, Clinical Epidemiology, Genetic Epidemiology and Public Health 3. Medical Informatics My impression was always that research in public health is far more important than just treating individual patients. As a medical doctor, I am still not sure whether I should continue as a researcher or a clinician. I believe that my experience will help me to combine the best of both worlds. Akhgar Ghassabian, MSc NIHES Master of Science in Health Sciences, specializing in Epidemiology Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Erasmus MC Sophia Children s Hospital Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands Opportunities for Master s graduates and Health Professionals If you have research experience and at least a Master s degree in a discipline related to clinical medicine and public health, see our one-year, full-time Master of Science programme in Health Sciences. It has specializations in Epidemiology, Clinical Epidemiology, Genetic Epidemiology, and Public Health. If you wish to combine your studies with work, you might consider attending the one-year programme part-time. You could then spread the curriculum over two years. In the case of Epidemiology, Clinical Epidemiology and Genetic Epidemiology, it is also possible to spread it over three consecutive NIHES Summer Schools plus two winter/spring sessions in the Erasmus Winter Programme and subsequent electives period

8 Online application In order to be eligible for a NIHES programme, you must have an appropriate educational background, such as a degree in medicine or in the health sciences, nutrition, biology, pharmacy, environmental sciences, social sciences or economics. Please write a letter of motivation, enclosing two recent letters of recommendation. The programme for which you qualify will depend on your educational background, research experience and publishing record. For an online application form and full, up-to-date details of our application and admission procedures, check out our website. International applicants whose native language is not English must take an English proficiency test: either IELTS (International English Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). If you need a visa for the Netherlands, we ll help you. We ll also help you to find accommodation. I always liked to help people, but as a community doctor I did not have enough knowledge to do good research. I wanted to be a qualified researcher, especially in epidemiology, to help my country to better plan and control the HIV epidemic. Bony Wiem Lestari, MSc NIHES Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology Bandung, Indonesia Deadlines The academic year runs from early-august to the end of August the following year. The deadline for most applications is 1 March. For those who do not require a visa or help with accommodation, it is 1 May. Short courses Year-round, we offer short courses at three levels (basic, intermediate and advanced) in specific areas of quantitative medical, clinical and public health research. While some courses have special requirements, most are open to anyone with a good working knowledge of English

9 Top research-training at your fingertips We prepare our students for international careers as researchers, executives or advisors in clinical medicine, drug research, public health and healthpolicy development. visit PUBLIC SECTOR CLINICAL WORK CAREER PERSPECTIVES ACADEMIC SCIENCES PUBLIC HEALTH SHORT COURSES CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY RESEARCH TRAINING SPECIALISATIONS GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY EPIDEMIOLOGY CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH GENOMICS INDUSTRY TWO YEAR RESEARCH MASTER (MSc) IN MEDICAL INFORMATICS 120 ECTS DOCTOR OF SCIENCE DIPLOMA POSTGRADUATE TRAINING ONE YEAR MASTER OF SCIENCE (MSc) IN HEALTH SCIENCES 70 ECTS DEGREE PROGRAMMES TWO YEAR RESEARCH MASTER (MSc) IN HEALTH SCIENCES 120 ECTS TWO YEAR RESEARCH MASTER (MSc) IN CLINICAL RESEARCH 120 ECTS BACHELOR DEGREE 16 17

10 RESEaRCH and TRaINING PaRTNERSHIPs We re continuously expanding our network of partner universities around the globe. We collaborate with leading universities within EU-sponsored Master s courses, joint doctorate programmes, and mobility schemes. Erasmus MC University Medical Center / Erasmus University Rotterdam Academic Medical Center / University of Amsterdam Netherlands Cancer Institute National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Evidence-based medicine was completely new for me as a surgeon. I had to go back to research and study design methods. I did a Master s programme in clinical epidemiology part-time and continued my surgical career. In the next 15 years I want to do global pragmatic surgical trials. Christoph M. Seiler, MD, MSc NIHES Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology Consultant Surgeon Head Study Center of the German Surgical Society Department of Surgery Heidelberg University, Germany ERASMUS MUNDUS Action 2 Partnerships ERACOL, the project in the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window Colombia, Costa Rica, Panamá. Top-level, socially committed research training in Europe and Latin America. To help you make a difference everywhere. ERACOL programmes are designed to train you for a career in clinical, biomedical, public-health or applied research. Designed to equip you to meet public-health challenges not just globally and regionally, but also locally, in the most disadvantaged parts of your society. Designed to make you a citizen of the world and to ensure you give your best at home. Which may be where you re needed most. The ERACOL partnership comprises 11 universities: Europe: Erasmus University Rotterdam - Erasmus MC, The Netherlands; Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain; University of Torino, Italy. Latin America: Universidad del Rosario, Colombia; Universidad del Cauca, Colombia; Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica; Universidad Autónoma de Centro América, Costa Rica; Universidad de Panamá, Panamá; Universidad Latina de Panamá, Panamá. info@erasmus-columbus.eu 18 19

11 Erasmus Summer Programme Each year, the Erasmus Summer Programme provides international students and professionals with an invaluable opportunity to spend three weeks in Holland, bringing themselves right up to date in the health sciences. In just three weeks, the Erasmus Summer Programme provides 30 courses on state-of-the-art biomedical topics. Each course is designed to fully satisfy the needs of international students with a specific interest such as clinical medicine, general practice, public health, epidemiology, genetics or biostatistics. A key part in the Erasmus Summer Programme is played by the Fellowships: three suites of courses that provide top-level instruction in clinical research training, public health research, and genetic epidemiology. Each Fellowship is Premature mortality in Russia: a challenge to epidemiology and public health Professor David Leon, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK Breast cancer: from epidemiology to etiology Professor Dimitrios Trichopoulos, Harvard University, Boston, USA 20 21

12 a stimulating challenge for talented young scientists who seek leading careers in scientific research. Between them, the Erasmus Summer Programme and the Fellowships make a vital contribution to life-long learning and the professional development of students and teachers. By attracting ever greater interest each year, they reveal the enormous international demand for a springboard to an MSc or PhD in quantitative medicine or public health research. NIHES Media Alert Erasmus University Rotterdam leads the table of 2924 top European institutions in clinical medicine in terms of citations per paper (impact). Professor Albert Hofman, Nihes Scientific Director: It s really exciting to see so many young and talented health professionals embarking on international careers as researchers, executives and advisors in the health sciences. Health matters for patients, people and populations. NIHES is proud to help such people realize their highest ambitions. Source: Times Higher Education (THE), May Data provided by Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators database, 1 January December Epidemiology beyond Genomics Professor Albert Hofman, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Separating the wheat and the chaff: true and false positive results again Professor Anders Ahlbom, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 22 23

13 in summary Health matters Since its foundation in 1991, NIHES has become a leading international centre in its field. Over nineteen years, we ve made a number of very significant achievements identifying the determinants of health and disease, improving the efficiency of health services, and developing methods for acquiring and interpreting medical data. Research and Training Partnership NIHES combines the expertise of twelve research groups and departments at key institutes and universities in the Netherlands: Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). I wanted to make a difference in the health area in my country and definitely through research. My aim is to contribute to the policy-making process there and to contribute and motivate to the training in research of Colombian students. Mónica Ortegón, MD, DSc NIHES Doctor of Science in Clinical Epidemiology Researcher & Teacher Medical & Health Sciences School Universidad del Rosario Bogotá, Colombia Facilities There s a lot you could benefit from at NIHES. First there s the full range of facilities available at Erasmus University Medical Centre and Erasmus University Rotterdam. As well as the library, sports facilities, language courses, restaurants, bars and canteens, there s a wide range of creative and extracurricular activities, such as lectures, discussions, courses and performances not just in the sciences, but also in culture and the arts. Naturally there s the access provided by participating institutes to their reading rooms and computer facilities. As well as standard applications such as Microsoft Office, internet and programs, there are also calculation 24 25

14 and statistical programs. Special support services are available for disabled students. And then there s the greatest benefit of all: our academic staff. NIHES partner institutes are fortunate to employ a disproportionately high number of the world s leading scientists an enormous attraction in their own right, and a wonderful reason to join us. It s the people that make us what we are! One of my ambitions is to treat patients with multiple injuries using the most novel techniques and conducting some randomized control trials. In ten years I hope to be a staff surgeon in trauma surgery, using the latest techniques and especially doing randomized control trials. We need more evidence-based medicine in trauma surgery. Niels Schep, MD, PhD, MSc NIHES Master of Science in Health Sciences, specializing in Clinical Epidemiology Traumasurgeon Erasmus MC Department of Surgery and Traumatology Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands The five best reasons for choosing Nihes: 1. You ll acquire specialized scientific knowledge and high-level research skills at one of the world s top institutes 2. You ll be able to customize your programme 3. You ll be involved in top-level research 4. You ll have access to our extensive international scientific network 5. You ll widen your range of career perspectives 26 27

15 RESEARCH TRAINING IN MEDICINE AND THE HEALTH SCIENCES Student services Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences - NIHES Educational Support Center (DCO) - Room Ee302 PO Box CA Rotterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0) Fax: +31 (0) nihes@erasmusmc.nl Visit our website: All rights reserved Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences NIHES, May 2011