Interdisciplinary Research in Health Dynamics

I come from Brazil where I studied medicine. For me, the most important part of CPE is how we get prepared to do research before starting it. In some places in Brazil, you would just have to start with your research and try to find out how to do it along the way. Here, we had a nicely structured program that prepared us for every step before we took them.

The small groups allowed our classes to be more interactive and to create a stronger bond with the other students, which is particularly important for international students. The multicultural environment, which was many times used as a theme of discussion during some of our courses, helps to shape students who think out of the boxes because you realize how you just take things for granted sometimes by seeing that other people do it differently.

We also always received support from the program coordinators and teachers. Moreover, there were coach groups to help with issues related to the subjects studied or with the psychological aspects of the process. We also had contact with professionals from many different fields, which helped with getting used to working in big multidisciplinary teams.

We learned many transferrable skills, which go further than the mere learning of the subject I was working on. This became very evident when I started the PhD, when I had contact with other first-year PhD students during the “Managing your PhD” course. During our discussions, it became apparent that I had a more solid understanding of what it was to do research, how to organize my project, and how to make use of the opportunities available to me. So the transition from master student to researcher happened in a much smoother way.

All in all, CPE was an incredible personal experience, where I made a lot of friends, and through which I became more independent and confident by learning the tools to perform good research.

By the way, being nervous is part of the process, but understand that you don't need to have everything perfect from the beginning. You are here to learn and everybody knows that!

Matheus Gurgel

Often, the related disciplines do not sufficiently collaborate to acknowledge this reciprocal relationship. I wanted to acknowledge this relationship and that many different aspects, such as social, psychological, and medical aspects, play a significant role in physical and mental conditions. Because of this, I applied for the Research Master in Clinical and Psychosocial Epidemiology as it acknowledges these relationships and highly emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach among disciplines within research.

Within this programme, top researchers and experts within their fields are teaching the courses. As the cohorts are small, the courses are very interactive. As the Research Master students of the Clinical and Psychosocial Epidemiology Research Masters come from different academic backgrounds related to Health Sciences, discussions always include many different perspectives, which widens the perspective.

Another unique aspect of the Research Master's is that the students pick their Master thesis topics and supervisors - not vice versa. Within interviews, the students interview the potential supervisor to check whether they are a good match.

Within the Master Thesis projects, which make up a big part of the whole programme, students can learn in-depth about medical and mental conditions, data collection, storage and processing, and advanced statistics. Within my Master Thesis project, in which I compared the prevalence of Functional Disorders across ages, I learned an advanced statistical method I had always been interested in learning.

The Research Master's ideally prepared me for my future career in research as it provided me with the necessary knowledge and taught me the relevant research skills. I found a PhD position within the department where I wrote my Master's Thesis, and I am excited to continue my research journey in Groningen!

Lisa Maeder

My experience

From day one, the CPE office and staff welcome students with open arms, providing genuine assistance and guidance – which is highly encouraging for an international student who is new to the city and the university! The small-scale nature of the course allows you to develop great friendships with classmates while working together while being taught by (and working alongside) some of the best minds in academia! The quality of the master is unmatched, and this is the perfect course for enthusiastic and motivated students, who want to be challenged and encouraged to reach the next step in their professional careers!

Research project

My research focused on the association between diet and respiratory health outcomes – which I conducted while embedded within the Department of Epidemiology at the UMCG. Within the department, I got the opportunity to work alongside other MSc students, PhD candidates, as well as professors – all of whom show interest in your work, and make a genuine effort to help you in any way they can.

Preparing for your future

I undertook this MSc in the hopes of increasing my career prospects for the future. The CPE programme offers a ‘fast-track’ opportunity to compete for PhD positions as part of the course but also encourages students to explore opportunities outside of academia. As a graduate of the MSc, I have recently accepted an offer to join a professional Data & AI graduate programme within the tech industry – an opportunity I was well-prepared for as a result of both the technical (research methods and statistics) and practical (communication, presentation) skills I learned as part of the CPE programme!

I am so happy that I chose the research MSc in Clinical and Psychosocial Epidemiology at the University of Groningen, and could not recommend it highly enough!

Cian Mitchell