Go-getters complete theses in hectic corona time

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Karin Sanders and her partner Koos van Geel have succeeded. Working in Covid care and on dissertations, plus keeping their young family going. Double promotion of spouses and medical assistants at UM. Koos obtained his PhD at SHE.

It has been hard work, they confirm at home at the kitchen table in the beautifully - also partly by hand - renovated house that they moved into Maastricht last year. The pregnant Karin Sanders (33) - the second child will arrive at the beginning of February - takes the floor while partner Koos van Geel (31) makes coffee. “You work in the hospital, you have your household, your family and then in between you have to write your dissertation. That is never really finished, isn't it? That always goes on. "They spent every free half hour on their research. “We have only worked. It was spicy. ”

PhD trajectory

Six years ago they each embarked on their own PhD trajectory. But then they were not yet working as a doctor's assistant, they did not have their own home or a child.

They are now in training. She as a lung specialist at Maastricht UMC + and he as a radiologist in Zuyderland (Sittard / Heerlen). “It is hard work as a doctor in training. You have to learn a lot, you do not know the way and the people in the hospital. You will also do internships in different departments. “As soon as you start to get the hang of it a bit, you move on to the next stage. That is quite intensive. ”

The couple studied medicine in Maastricht. Last year, they moved into a house in the city with their daughter Julie - now 2.5 years old - which they partly renovated themselves. Karin got pregnant with the second and they set out to get a PhD before the second was born.

Corona

So every effort was made. "Especially when we were attacked by corona in March." The two actively participated in Covid care. "We ran a lot of shifts, schedules were always adjusted to what was needed in the hospital, which was very hectic." Koos mainly assessed scans and ultrasounds of Covid patients; Karin worked as a ward doctor in the corona department and was deployed in the emergency department. It was hard work. The first day in the corona ward, she saw four patients die. "That was tough, especially emotionally."

They worked long hours, also because they had to continue with their thesis, because the last PhD year is the busiest. "You have gathered information and data for years, at the end you have to analyze, write down, publish it." When they put their daughter to bed around seven o'clock, the laptops would open. Koos: "Karin works in a very structured way, I am more into procrastination." She kept him focused, he insisted that she would sometimes switch off. And that worked, there were at most some small fumbles among themselves.

Grateful

They are very grateful to their parents in Brabant, because they were always ready to help out, especially to receive Julie, so that Koos and Karin could work on their dissertations. Karin's discusses the role of imaging in diagnostics and physiology cachexia (excessive weight loss) in lung patients. Koos's SHE PhD research is about supporting lifelong learning in radiology, both for radiologists in training and for radiologists using new imaging techniques.

Festive

After defending the theses, they celebrated a modest party with family, digitally. A dinner box was ordered for everyone. Via Zoom they had festive food together. They look satisfied. They managed to do it anyway.

On behalf of SHE and the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences congratulations Karin and Koos.