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My name is Anne van Tuijl. I was born in Helmond in 1993. I’m a PhD student at the department of IQ healthcare in the theme of medical education. My research project focusses on leadership development of healthcare professionals in healthcare quality and safety. I also work as an educational advisor and researcher for the postgraduate training program for general practitioners at the Radboudumc, where i’m involved in several educational projects and research projects.
Where do you live and with whom?
I live in Veldhoven with my husband (we got married in September this year) and our cat Keesje.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your child years.
I grew up with my parents and two sisters in a small town in the south of the Netherlands. What I remember most is that I played being an archeologist outside in our garden a lot and the many visits to museums with my family. I was fascinated with everything that had to do with history. My mum and dad have told me a lot of stories about big historical events and I couldn’t stop asking questions about it. For a long time I’d like to become an archeologist or history teacher.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I studied pedagogical sciences and educational sciences at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. Human behavior has always interested me and at that time I started this academic training because I wanted to help young adolescents with different kinds of behavioral problems. However, during my training I found out that I was more interested in the science of education. It intrigued me how people learn and the impact that education has on our society. During my internship at the Radboudumc Health Academy I came into contact with adult learning, that most of the time takes place at work. To do research and give advice on how our (future) healthcare professionals can be trained in the most optimal way so we have the best doctors, is a great motivator for me.
Of which of your research discoveries, you are most proud of?
I do not necessarily have a research discovery of which I’m most proud of. Where I’m proud of is when I see that results and implications from my studies are used in practice or give cause for future research. For example, in one of my studies I developed a tool that contributes to bridging the research to practice gap in a specific research area.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
Finishing my PhD project is an important challenge for me which I hope to succeed this upcoming year. Furthermore, I would like to promote the more and better use of scientific knowledge and insights about learning and education within the practice of medical education. The translation from research to practice is not easy and I think it’s important that there are researchers that work together with people from the workplace to make this translation.
Another challenge that I find really important is to change the way that we value a PhD project and the role that supervisors play in this trajectory. A big challenge because it will take a change of culture, but I’m sure we will get there.
If you could choose any mentor, who would this be?
There is no particular person that I have in mind but I would choose a mentor that you fully trust and feel comfortable with. You need to feel that you can be open to your mentor and that he or she always takes you serious and supports you when needed.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
I think I go for the population.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
I think the way we value researchers, especially PhD candidates, accomplishments need to change. A PhD project is so much more than publishing articles in high impact journals. During my PhD trajectory, I experience a big personal and professional development that can not be expressed in the number of published articles. In my opinion, this professional/personal development should be equally valued as the articles you publish. I think supervisors play an important role in this by coaching PhD candidates. Also, I think that the professional development PhD candidates gone through should be taken into account in the assessment of getting your doctorate.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
You can always wake me up when people that I love and care about need support or a friendly ear. Besides that, you can always wake me up for french fries with mayo!
What is the thing that irritates you most?
What really irritates me is when people are too late at appointments.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
I would like to have dinner with Rutger Bregman, the author of the popular book ‘De Meeste Mensen Deugen’ (English: 'Humandkind: A hopeful history'). I finished his book within two days and it really inspired me.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
After a stressful day at work I relax by taking a long walk or spent some time in the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Follow your heart and be open about your PhD/research experiences to your fellow junior scientists and your supervisors. Say what you think and feel. Try to not focus too much on publishing articles but see the road to these articles as most valuable. Later, when you look back at your early research career, you will realize how much you learned from all of it, as a scientist but most of all as a person.
Can you share a photo that represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
This photo is taking during our holiday to Ecuador. We slept at the foot of the Cotopaxy Vulcano and were waking up with this view for three days. I will never forget this amazing view and the feelings evoked by this piece of nature. When I need to recharge my battery I often think about this place.
