Who am I?
Jolanda van der Velden, chair of the department of Physiology and director of the Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences institute of Amsterdam UMC, location VU. We mainly focus on physiological research on heart muscle cell pathology and its translation to the clinic. In addition, I am chairing the DCVA talent program on behalf of NL-HI.
Why do I think this program is important?
I experienced myself that knowledge about networking outside research activities is crucial to understand the (inter)national arena in which decisions about research and education are made. This program helps people to actively participate in this arena, and learn about the different aspects involved in the decisions that are made by policy makers. In this way, talents will work on topics that the DCVA partners are currently working on in their own organisations. By doing so, the leaders of the future can now help shape that future.
What do I expect from the participants?
Inspiring discussions and new and creative ideas about how to put up with future challenges in the cardiovascular field! The participants, our future leaders, should be involved now in decision making for the future.