VU – UTNews & agendaNewsAmsterdam UMC launches new master track in September

Amsterdam UMC launches new master track in September

The two-year master's degree in Cardiovascular Research at Amsterdam UMC will be renewed and broadened in the next three years and will continue under the name Personalized Medicine from September 2023 onwards. Christa Boer, vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine, is a major driving force behind this development in collaboration with the programme director Miriam van Strien. ‘There is a great need for a new type of healthcare professional who works at the interface of healthcare, research and technology. The new master's programme will train this professional, partly in collaboration with our colleagues from the UT.’

Co-creation and bridge builders 

Twenty students will start on the new master's programme in the coming academic year. They will start with a number of essential knowledge blocks and will be able to study one of the three tracks in the fields of imaging, medical technology and pharmaceutical innovation from 2023. ‘There is already a great deal of interest from the various departments within Amsterdam UMC in contributing to the education.’ Two large internships are also an important part of the new master's programme. Co-creation is the key word here. ‘In these internships, we want students to cooperate intensively with doctors and technicians on the basis of scientific questions and social challenges. In this way, the students develop into a kind of bridge builders between the worlds of healthcare and technology.’ 

More and more teamwork  

The role and position of technology in healthcare is becoming increasingly important. And Boer is happy to contribute to that. ‘This development also fits in well with the changing role of the GP. For a long time, we assumed that he or she should be able to do everything. But that is not realistic. The technical innovations are far too big and far-reaching to keep up with. You need a new kind of healthcare professional for that. And healthcare in any case requires more and more teamwork from GPs, doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers. The new healthcare professional is an excellent addition to these teams'. 

Exchanging lecturers and students 

The new master programme in Amsterdam has common ground with the Technical Medicine programme at the UT, and they don’t contradict. ‘Our master distinguishes itself through the greater part of research and especially through the fact that students do their training in a hospital.’ According to Boer, the contact with the people from Technical Medicine and the TechMed Centre at the UT is good and constructive. On 22 September, she will join her VU Amsterdam colleagues on a working visit to Twente. ‘Together, we are looking at how we can exchange lecturers and students in the future. We are also looking into the opportunities of collaboration in the co-creation of internships, and we want to set up joint courses.’

Contributing to the healthcare landscape

Boer enjoys her role. Also because of her personal experiences. ‘I was trained as a biomedical doctor in a clinical environment. So I am also a kind of bridge builder. Moreover, I am extremely motivated to contribute to the development and innovation of the healthcare landscape in the Netherlands.’ The new master in Amsterdam is aimed at both medical students and students from the broad field of Life Sciences. ‘I sincerely hope that in the future students from the UT will also find their way to Amsterdam.’

More information:  

Cardiovascular Research, Technical Medicine  en TechMed Centrum