Aletta's Talent Network

Aletta’s Talent Network (ATN) connects young researchers in public health and facilitates them in their careers. As part of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, the ATN aims to build bridges connecting the various faculties, departments and organizations that make up Aletta. It is through these connections that young researchers gain insight in new methodologies, and situate their own research in the broader arena of thinking about public health. We want to give young researchers the opportunity to learn from senior experts as well as their peers, exchanging knowledge and experiences, and to widen their skills as a public health researcher.

Socialize and participate

Members of the network have the possibility to socialize during informal activities, meeting potential future employers and discovering job opportunities in public health and/or policy making. Lastly, the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health provides young researchers the opportunity to participate in research assignments for, and consultancy requests by, external parties.

In summary, this is what Aletta's Talent Network has to offer:

• Co-creating research ideas and exploring joint research opportunities through Aletta’s Themes
• Exchanging knowledge and experiences and gaining insight in new methodologies.
• Staying informed of each other's research and data sources.
• Possibilities for joint research.
• Getting involved in the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health and thus gaining access to professional support.
• Situating your own research in the broader arena of thinking about public health.
• Opportunities for networking outside your peer group.
• Gaining visibility for your research through Aletta’s events and channels
• Connecting with societal partners and potential employers.
• Contributing to research assignments for and advice requests from external parties.
• Practicing communicating your research to an interdisciplinary audience in an informal setting.
• Access to Aletta events, workshops, projects & funding opportunities (for example Aletta Health Grant).

Upcoming events and opportunities in 2026

• 29 January - social event with new network members
• 1 April - Junior Research Meet-Up
• Spring - Meeting societal partners during an excursion
• June - Workshops & skills sessions (e.g., working with societal partners)

Aletta Talent Network Committee

Monique van Cauwenberghe
Co-chair at the Aletta Talent Network, legal researcher and teacher at the RUG, coordinator of the Groningen Centre for Health Law (GCHL) and Global Scientific Network on Law and Tobacco (GSNLT)

Monique has a social sciences, health and legal background. She is researching the right to mental health for internally displaced persons within the context of climate disasters.

Windson Lin
Co-chair of the Aletta Talent Network, PhD candidate, Faculty of Arts

Windson is a PhD candidate in the History of Global Health and Psychiatry. His research traces how psychiatric knowledge has circulated across different regions and cultures, showing how medical ideas are reshaped as they move through global networks. He works at the intersection of History of Psychiatry and Science and Technology Studies. 

Aniek Kolen
ATN Blog editor, PhD candidate at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, UMCG

Aniek has a background in dietetics and human movement sciences. Currently, she is finishing up her PhD on the role of nutrition during (p)rehabilitation in people with a major dysvascular lower limb amputation.

Taichi Ochi
ATN Blog editor, Research Fellow. Pillar Lead

Taichi is investigating the utilisation of genetic biomarkers and social determinants of health to optimise treatment outcomes in patients with major depressive disorders and type II diabetes. He is also part of the Open Science Program, focusing on addressing challenges faced in establishing and growing communities in the discipline.

Marit Slootweg
Treasurer at the Aletta Talent Network, PhD candidate, Department of Health Sciences UMCG

Marit has a background in Health Sciences, particularly in health systems, policy and prevention. Her current PhD work focuses on regional inequalities in population mental health, for which she closely collaborates with GGD Drenthe to translate scientific findings to stakeholders in the public domain.

Kevin Saldarriaga Bedoya
General Committee Member, MD-PhD Candidate at the Department of Epidemiology, UMCG and at the Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.

Kevin is passionate about public health and the use of technology in healthcare. He is investigating the impact of digital interventions on patients with chronic diseases in Colombia. His research, carried out jointly at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and the Universidad de Antioquia, is based at the first fully digital hospital in Latin America and examines clinical, social, and demographic characteristics to evaluate how telehealth compares with traditional care in improving health outcomes.

Emilio Motte
General Committee Member, PhD Candidate in Epidemiology UMCG

Emilio is a  medical doctor from Mexico and a PhD candidate in Epidemiology. My research centers on community-based participatory approaches with Indigenous communities in Mexico and the evaluation of interventions for chronic diseases. I use mixed methods to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, with particular interests in data modeling and economic evaluation to inform evidence-based public health strategies.