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I am Janna Vrijsen, I was born in Nijmegen on November 11th 1984. Currently I am an Assistant Professor in the department of Psychiatry, within the theme of Stress-related disorders.
Where do you live?
I live in Nijmegen Oost with my wife and two young sons.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your childhood years?
Well, I wanted to be a psychiatrist from fairly early on. However, when I found out around the age of 15 that this would require ploughing my way through medial school for 5 years before finally being able to focus on behavior/psychiatry/mental health, I decided I wanted to be a psychologist.
I grew up on a boat in a secluded nature area. This means I had a duck as a pet, who, as you can imagine, did not get along well with our two cats. I was proficient in building treehouses and rowing, and my primary school friends always wanted to play at my ‘house’. It was a happy childhood.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I am a behavioral scientist by training with a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology and a PhD on psychiatry, genetics and cognitive processes. I did both my bachelor and research master in Nijmegen, so to start working in the Radboudumc was not a big transfer. In fact, I was born in this building, so Radboudumc has been in my life for a long time. I have always been interested in why people do certain (unhealthy) things, why individuals differ so much even though the context of their lives is similar, and why some people become mentally ill while others thrive. Clinical psychology and specializing in behavioral science allowed me to work on answering these questions.
Which of your research discoveries are you most proud of?
That memory has such an important role in how we feel and function. A simple memory test of learned emotional words can even predict psychiatric symptom four years later. That is impressive.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
For many mental health findings, implementing the novel insights and newly developed evidence-based interventions into practice is always difficult. I aim to integrate my e-Mental Health tools into daily practice, both here at the Radboudumc but also at Pro Persona Mental Health Care where I also work as a researcher.
If you could choose any mentor, who would it be?
Professor Indira Tendolkar has been an amazing mentor for me over the last few years. If I could add one and could choose anyone, I would choose the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. I’ve read most of his work including autobiographical books and stories. He is such a focused, dedicated essentialist. I would love to learn from him how to approach work and life in a balanced and focused way.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
Patients.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
Not a unique stance, but working in teams instead of competing so much. Less ego, more co-creation.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
No, please don’t wake me up!
What is the thing that irritates you most?
Passive aggressive behavior and nails scratching on a blackboard.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
My late grandmother. Preferably a dinner she prepared for us.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
Playing with my two sons, running, Netflix, online shopping. That all works wonders for me.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Don’t overthink. I know there is a huge focus on five-year-plans and planning your future. Please do what you like, as cleverly as possible, but don’t drive yourself crazy with thinking you have to know everything already.
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
This picture was taken in Iceland during the trip we, the Radboudumc talent track group, took for the Da Vinci Challenge. Such an impressive country and stimulating trip!
