Workshops ISCOMS 2024

Department: Wenckebach Institute for Education and Training

Supervisor:  Monique Timmer, Instructor ERC / NRR CPR-Instructor

During this workshop, participants will be invited to engage with fellow students (3-4 people) to demonstrate a perfect resuscitation (with AED) and continue the resuscitation for some time (5-7 minutes). Students who do not participate in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation-action (CPR) are invited to assess the resuscitation: what is going well and what could be better. If you are working as a doctor, it is necessary to take leadership in a resuscitation team and have the ability to coach your CPR team. A good observation of skills is a requirement for doctors to make the CPR procedure perfect. During the CPR action, it is important to push hard (5-6 cm), push fast (100-120/minute), and minimize interruption. At the end of this workshop, participants can exercise their CPR skills with the AED. The workshop will end with a certificate of participation titled “Workshop: heroes aren’t born, they are trained,” given by the Wenckebach Training Institute of the UMCG. Participants can find the international guidelines for CPR on the site of the ERC:www.erc.edu. Furthermore, you can find a link about an international campaign for reanimation awareness: life-saver.org.uk.

Supervisors: Maarten van Reeuwijk, Roel Hadderingh

This workshop revolves around the subject of hearing impairments and hands-on training in basic otoscopy. The causes of hearing impairments, such as tinnitus, and its effects on individuals and the healthcare system will be discussed. The workshop will provide insights into the importance of navigating in an auditory environment that you can apply directly to your own life.

The world we live in has become louder than ever. Erasmus MC has shown that 2.2 million (13%) people of the Dutch population aged 40 and older have a hearing loss of 35 dB or more, and that 2 million (12.5%) people suffer from a form of tinnitus. The effects of these hearing impairments are straining today’s healthcare system to such an extent that it has gained nationwide political attention. Awareness is key in fighting an invisible enemy.

This workshop consists of three parts:

1. Introduction and scientific data on hearing impairments.
2. Hands-on basic training in the clinical procedure of otoscopy.
3. An introduction to the technology behind hearing protection and how to apply this in your daily life.

What can you do now to protect yourself against these risks? What are the direct benefits of a healthy auditory environment, apart from preventing hearing damage? What is a healthy auditory environment?

Supervisor: Melissa Schoon, Thom Weitenberg

eLab offers digital lab solutions for any laboratory need. Their cloud-based flexible software enhances work activities for writing your experiment data in a journal, collaborating with fellow lab members, and storing all your samples in the inventory management system.  In short, an all-in-one package specifically for “Research and Development” research.

During our workshop, the possibilities and advantages of an ELN will be demonstrated. Also, to add some interaction, you will play a game and explore eLab using handheld scanning devices!

Supervisor: Sean de Jong, MD 

Precision medicine focuses on individual differences between patients and uses these to find the right therapy for a specific patient at the right time.

This workshop will cover the general principles of precision medicine: how does it work and what does it mean for a patient?Specific focus will be on precision medicine in oncology, for which several examples will be discussed. There will also be room for deliberation about the values and opportunities precision medicine offers.

The value of precision medicine will be discussed with the participants in order to try to answer the question “Is precision medicine the way forward in improving patient care?”

Supervisor: Kirsten Francis Ma PhD, Kees Wieriks MSc, Minou de Bree MSc

Donor organ quality has recently been decreasing because of an ageing population and a rising BMI. Further, in the coming years, more and more donor organs are expected to be declined for transplantation. Therefore, there is a need for a method to increase the pool of good-quality organs. Machine perfusion offers the possibility of viability testing and resuscitation of organs of suboptimal quality that would otherwise be discarded. In this way, machine perfusion can increase the quality of available donor organs and the number of viable organs. Machine perfusion of donor organs is becoming a standard way of organ preservation. The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) is leading in the field of machine preservation. Many initially declined organs in the Netherlands are currently tested in the UMCG by machine perfusion. Many of the previously declined livers are now actually transplanted with very good results. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn about machine perfusion and the anatomy of perfused organs. They will practice preparing (porcine) donor organs for ‘transplantation’ and machine perfusion. Afterwards, they will see how well they had done the preparations when some of their organs are placed on the pump in a demonstration of machine perfusion.

Department: Department of Critical Care, UMCG

Supervisors: A. (Annalies) de Bont-Prins and M. (Marije) Smit MD

Implementation of interdisciplinary teams in the ICU[IS1]  to provide care in often life-threatening situations, focused attention on the relevance of leadership behaviour. Effective, coordinated, and safe patient care challenge even the most experienced ICU teams daily. Leadership behaviour is defined as the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives. Simulation training is useful for teaching team-based crisis management skills and is now considered essential in developing and maintaining competencies for ICU workers.

In our high fidelity simulation center, participants of the workshop will become familiar with some stepwise elements of the treatment, such as resuscitation and airway management of critically ill patients. The non-technical skills such as leadership, communication, and cooperation are also emphasised. The experiences may contribute to the development of knowledge and skills in decision-making and teamwork during the treatment of critically ill patients.

Supervisor: George Volckmann

In this hands-on workshop, the supervisors will elaborate about various treatment possibilities for fractures. The biomechanical aspects of the different fixation methods will be covered. Moreover, you will be able to fixate implants on several kinds of fractures for the proximal femur, tibia and proximal humerus. The placement of the implants will be effectuated with medical drills, saws and operation sets.

Department: Burn Centre, Groningen

Supervisor: M.E. van Eck MD

The treatment of patients with (extensive) burns remains a major challenge. Two main factors define burn severity: depth of burn injury and total body surface (TBSA) area burnt. In burn wounds, not only the thermally injured skin and the underlying anatomical structures are affected, but there are some pathophysiological changes that influence the whole body. This workshop entailed an interactive presentation and a number of clinical cases in which the students could practice examining a burn wound.

Department: 3D-lab / Orthopedic Surgery / Trauma Surgery

Supervisors: Peter Pijpker, Anne Meesters, Nick Assink and Sander Tabernée Heijtmeijer  (Technical Physicians and 3D
specialists)

In the UMCG, 3D virtual surgical planning technology is used frequently for many interventions within various disciplines. The use of 3D technology assures safer, faster and more accurate surgical procedures. Within our institution the Technical Physicians of the 3D-lab are planning complex cases on a daily basis. Using 3D-printed patient specific instrumentation and implants, the virtual plan is transferred to the surgical theater with high accuracy.

One of many applications is the 3D guided patient-specific corrective limb osteotomy. Corrective osteotomy surgery for bony anomalies can be very challenging since the deformation of the bone is often in three-dimensions. The use of 3D planning and printing allows to visualize the anatomy in 3D and plan the osteotomy based on the CT scan. Additionally, patient-specific instrumentation can be manufactured to guide the cutting and reposition process, leading to a more predictive result.

This workshop consisted of two parts. Firstly, the participants would learn the basics of virtual surgical planning and tried to virtually plan a corrective limb osteotomy. Secondly, the workshop would continue with hands-on simulated surgery on sawbones. In this part the participants will learn how to use the patient specific 3D-printed instrumentation, aiming to correct the deformity.

Department: Radiotherapy

Supervisor: Christian Hammer MD

Radiotherapy is one of the pillars of the treatment of oncologic patients, next to surgery and systemic therapy. In the Netherlands, this specialty is developing very fast, resulting in the treatment of new indications with state-of-the-art techniques to optimally treat cancer with minimal side effects.
One of the most important innovations is proton therapy. The UMCG was the first institute that started this new technique in the Netherlands, back in 2018.
Proton therapy is a relatively new method to treat patients with radiation, as protons have special characteristics to inflict DNA damage without further passing through the body, as photons do.
This makes it possible to inflict less damage to the healthy organs surrounding the tumor. The workshop entails an interactive presentation where input from the audience will be sought in a number of clinical urological cases in which new techniques were applied and provided basic insights into the treatment principles of cancer.

Department: Psychiatry, UMCG

Supervisor: F. D. van Es MD

Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as the loss of contact with reality. Patients experiencing psychosis may report hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) or delusional beliefs (false beliefs about what is taking place or who one is). The combination of both often causes a severe disruption of perception, thinking, emotion and behaviour. Depending on its severity, a psychotic episode may thus be accompanied by unusual or bizarre behaviour, as well as difficulty with social interaction and impairment in carrying out daily life activities. As a result, patients with psychosis are caught in a hostile environment. They are therefore in need of your dedication and medical skills: how can you meet their needs? How can you avoid stigma and promote health and social recovery?
During this workshop, participants will be able to ask questions to a psychiatrist and a patient who had suffered from psychosis.

Department: Genetics

Supervisors: Kai Yu Ma PhD & Willemien van Zwol PhD

Join us to unravel the complexities of gene-editing! Tailored for students with little to no background in gene-editing, this hands-on workshop demystifies the molecular mechanisms behind this groundbreaking technology. You will gain a foundational understanding of how gene-editing works, exploring its potential and limitations in a medical context. We’ll address burning questions, such as the current state of gene-editing in health care, offering insights into what’s currently possible and what remains science fiction.

Department: Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Department of Prenatal Diagnosis

Supervisor: Ayten Elvan, MD PhD

In every pregnancy there is a risk for fetal anomalies. In the Netherlands pregnant women are offered a first and second trimester ultrasound examination to screen for fetal anomalies. With major improvement in image resolution and systematic anatomic assessment protocols, ultrasound evaluation of the fetal anatomy and anomalies with great detail is achievable.

In this workshop prenatal screening and diagnosis in the Netherlands will be discussed. What is different according to other countries?

Pictures of prenatal ultrasound findings will be shown, what do you see?

In the second part of the workshop we will show you the practice in our prenatal diagnosis department, hands on with pregnant women and you can practice with our ultrasound simulator.

Supervisor: A. Wilhelm PhD

Over the last decades serious gaming has become increasingly more popular in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Within this workshop participants will have the opportunity to experience a serious VR game that motivates patients with cervical dystonia to do their physiotherapy exercises. Furthermore, participants will learn about how games attempt to nudge patients into doing their exercises in the way the therapist wants them to do and discover how important the role of the therapist is in such a technology driven intervention. Finally they will get the opportunity to implement their own physiotherapy program in an interactive game.

Department: UMCG Center for Rehabilitation, Physical and Rehabilitation medicine

Supervisor: Dr. G.E. van der Wal, MD PhD

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is an event in which the individual experience reduced or complete loss of mobility below the lesion level. Worldwide, SCI has an incidence of 3.6-195.4 cases per million persons. In the Netherlands the incidence of traumatic SCI is about 200 cases per year, the non-traumatic SCI is much higher.

Individuals with motor-complete SCI use, generally, have a wheelchair to move toward a destination in their daily activities. Most of the individuals with an incomplete SCI However, sitting in a wheelchair for a longer period leads to various medical and psychological problems. Standing and gait reconstruction to prevent these problems had been a key and challenge within rehabilitation medicine.

In the past decades, science has improved and is developing methods to eventually cure SCI or at least improve the disability outcome. Herewith also a few gait and walking devices have been developed to improve or optimize remaining walking abilities or to provide standing and walking abilities for (in)complete SCI individuals.

In this workshop, we discuss the latest developments in trying to cure SCI/ improve the SCI outcome in the acute phase and the different possibilities to improve walking or make walking possible. We particularly focused on exoskeleton possibilities and when to use them.

After this workshop, medical students know what the state of the art science platform is now and when to indicate certain exoskeletons or other walking devices for individuals with a loss of mobility, especially individuals with a spinal cord injury.

Department: Human Movement Sciences

Supervisors: Thijs Tankink, Rifko Kurnianto

The foot-ankle system of the human species is unique and facilitates our bipedal gait. Personalized footwear could be used to enhance the function of the ankle-foot complex. One way to enhance the ankle complex is to personalize the rocker profile of a shoe, i.e, the curvature of the heel and forefoot of the shoe. Changing the rocker profile of a shoe could lead to more efficient power production of calf muscles or influence gait stability.

In this workshop, we will investigate how different rocker profiles affect walking biomechanics by using experimental shoes with a tuneable rocker profile and a state-of-the-art motion capture system: the GRAIL. The workshop will start with a demonstration of calibrating the system. Afterwards, we will perform a gait analysis. A participant will walk on the treadmill of the GRAIL with different shoe designs. Finally, we will analyse the collected data to see how different rocker profiles affect gait kinematics and kinetics.

Department: Pulse racing

Supervisors: Kristel den Engelsman, Iris Kleinbog and Linda van der Klei

PULSE Racing was founded to advance functional electrostimulation (FES) for people with spinal cord injuries. Having a spinal cord injury causes several physical problems. Besides the inability to walk and reduced mobility, people with paraplegia (inability to voluntarily move the lower parts of the body) also have a reduced aerobic functioning, disturbed blood circulation and a high risk of pressure sores. This has a negative impact on their quality of life and personal well-being. FES has a proven positive influence on the physical and mental aspects of the life of people with spinal cord injury. The activity of the muscles induced by FES can improve the aerobic functioning, blood circulation and psychological state. In this workshop, participants will have the chance to gain a deeper understanding of how functional electrostimulation works and will have the ability to speak with paralympic athletes who uses this technology to cycle. They will even have the opportunity to try the bike for themselves!

Department: Anatomy & Medical Physiology, Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, UMCG

Supervisors: Janniko Georgiadis, PhD

Dissection of the human body in general and of the brain in particular is an underexposed part of the average medical curriculum. In this context, the workshop “Dissection of the human brain” will address this omission. The workshop will be organised in the dissection room of the Anatomy Department of the UMCG and is especially intended for students with a special interest in the brain.

The workshop stars with the inspection of the external parts of the human brain. The morphology of meninges, blood vessels, and neocortical areas were central topics. Subsequently, transversal and horizontal sections of fixated human brains are used to inspect the inner parts of the brain. Attention will be paid to the three-dimensional location of the cortical, extrapyramidal, and limbic structures. At the end of the workshop, students will have gained a better insight into the structure and function of the human brain.

Department: Research Support Facility – Central Animal Facility

Supervisors: Annemieke van Oosten PhD, Michel Weij Ing, Daryll Eichhorn Ing

Many major findings in the field of human medicine have been established following animal experiments. To date, animal experimentation is still a very important way to gain data and knowledge mandatory to develop new procedures in modern human medicine.

Within the UMCG all animal experimental work is organised in the Central Animal Facility.

The workshop consisted of a guided tour in this facility. During the tour the current status of laboratory animal experimentation within the UMCG is presented.

Department: Cardiothoracic Surgery and Cardiology, UMCG

Supervisors: Dr. Y. Blaauw MD PhD and Dr. W. Bouma MD PhD

Atrial fibrillation is an increasing worldwide problem and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this workshop, the basic anatomy of the heart and its relationship with the etiology and pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation will be discussed. A basic understanding of cardiac anatomy is essential in understanding atrial fibrillation and the different invasive treatment modalities. The different invasive treatment modalities for atrial fibrillation will be explained and shown during this workshop. Advantages and disadvantages of these techniques will be discussed. After this workshop, medical students will understand the basics of atrial fibrillation and its invasive treatment.

Department: Wenckebach Institute for Education and Training

Supervisor:  Monique Timmer, Instructor ERC / NRR CPR-Instructor

During this workshop, participants will be invited to engage with fellow students (3-4 people) to demonstrate a perfect resuscitation (with AED) and continue the resuscitation for some time (5-7 minutes). Students who do not participate in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation-action (CPR) are invited to assess the resuscitation: what is going well and what could be better. If you are working as a doctor, it is necessary to take leadership in a resuscitation team and have the ability to coach your CPR team. A good observation of skills is a requirement for doctors to make the CPR procedure perfect. During the CPR action, it is important to push hard (5-6 cm), push fast (100-120/minute), and minimize interruption. At the end of this workshop, participants can exercise their CPR skills with the AED. The workshop will end with a certificate of participation titled “Workshop: heroes aren’t born, they are trained,” given by the Wenckebach Training Institute of the UMCG. Participants can find the international guidelines for CPR on the site of the ERC:www.erc.edu. Furthermore, you can find a link about an international campaign for reanimation awareness: life-saver.org.uk.

Department: Clinical Training Center, UMCG

Supervisors: Marco A.C. Versluis MD PhD, Dennis Beekhuis MD
Days: Wednesday june 5th

General childbirth, also known as labour, is an unique event showing the miracle and power of nature. Although it is a physiological event of itself, childbirth is one of the most fascinating aspects of medicine, which mostly deals with pathophysiological processes.

Childbirth is the culmination of the gestation and pregnancy period with the expulsion of one or more newborn babies from a women’s uterus into a completely different environment. At that particular moment, being disconnected from the mother’s circulation after cutting the umbilical cord, the newborn faces a very serious and complicated adaptation of his own circulation to the onset of his own respiratory system.

The process of a normal vaginal human childbirth is categorized into four stages. Stage 1: The onset of birth is initiated by a metabolic change in the infant which causes the release of the hormones needed for uterine contractions. Stage 2: The process of shortening and dilation of the uterine cervix is caused by uterine contractions. This process facilitates the head of the infant to enter the birth canal. Stage 3: The continuation of uterine contractions with the help of the mothers pressing, pushing the baby through the birth canal into the baby’s new world. Stage 4: The delivery of the placenta. The expulsion of the placenta mostly starts spontaneously approximately twenty minutes after the occlusion and the cutting of the umbilical cord.

During this workshop more details will be given on monitoring labour, pain control, and problems that may happen before and during delivery including the therapeutic possibilities if these problems occur. You are also given the opportunity to deliver a baby using a mannequin, simulating the real situation.

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Department: 3D-lab / Orthopedic Surgery / Trauma Surgery

Supervisors: Peter Pijpker, Anne Meesters, Nick Assink and Sander Tabernée Heijtmeijer  (Technical Physicians and 3D
specialists)

In the UMCG, 3D virtual surgical planning technology is used frequently for many interventions within various disciplines. The use of 3D technology assures safer, faster and more accurate surgical procedures. Within our institution the Technical Physicians of the 3D-lab are planning complex cases on a daily basis. Using 3D-printed patient specific instrumentation and implants, the virtual plan is transferred to the surgical theater with high accuracy.

One of many applications is the 3D guided patient-specific corrective limb osteotomy. Corrective osteotomy surgery for bony anomalies can be very challenging since the deformation of the bone is often in three-dimensions. The use of 3D planning and printing allows to visualize the anatomy in 3D and plan the osteotomy based on the CT scan. Additionally, patient-specific instrumentation can be manufactured to guide the cutting and reposition process, leading to a more predictive result.

This workshop consisted of two parts. Firstly, the participants would learn the basics of virtual surgical planning and tried to virtually plan a corrective limb osteotomy. Secondly, the workshop would continue with hands-on simulated surgery on sawbones. In this part the participants will learn how to use the patient specific 3D-printed instrumentation, aiming to correct the deformity.

Department: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, UMCG

Supervisors: Prof. Ruud R.M. Bos DMD PhD, Baucke van Minnen MD

The treatment of mandibular fractures has evolved greatly over the past 50 years. Biomechanical principles that have been developed in laboratory models are applied to clinical practice in order to allow for immediate mobilization and rehabilitation of the injured part. The goal of this workshop was to give insight into the widely accepted treatment modality of mandibular fractures: internal fixation with mini plates and screws. After a short introduction to the principles of mandibular fracture treatment, the participants will perform an osteosynthesis of mandibular fractures in a polyurethane mandible with mini plates and screws.

Department: Genderteam UMCG

Supervisor: A. G. Schuringa

Transgender people experience a mismatch between their gender identity or gender expression and their assigned sex. Transgender is an umbrella term, because in addition to including trans men and trans women (whose binary gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex), it may also include genderqueer people (whose identities are not exclusively masculine or feminine, for example: bigender, pangender, genderfluid, or agender).

Since the late ‘70s the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands offers a treatment programme for transgenders, according to the professional standards of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH). Once patients have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by the psychiatrist, the ‘real life phase’ starts. This include living their gender identity and cross-sex hormone therapy. When the ‘real-life phase’ has been followed through with success, one can apply for sex reassignment surgery. After these operations, a lifelong continuation of cross-sex hormone therapy is needed to maintain secondary sex characteristics of the desired gender.

What does the transition contain and cause physically, mentally, and socially and how can we guide the patients in this process? During this workshop, participants will be able to ask questions to a member of the UMCG Gender team and a transgender patient.

Department: Geriatrics

Supervisor: Harianne Hegge PhD

About the future of healthcare. Despite the efforts of “healthy aging”, everyone will grow older/ age. What does that mean? How does that feel? Try it yourself. In this workshop participants got acquainted with aging, frailty, and resilience. Furthermore, they could experience for themselves what it felt like to be an elderly person.

Department: Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, section Anatomy and Medical Physiology

Supervisors: E. Sietsema, E. Achtereekte

Pulmonary function tests, including spirometry, play an important role in the detection of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Measurements of pulmonary function help to chart the course of the disease and assess the risk of complications. As a doctor and clinical researcher, it is important to accurately interpret and analyse spirometry testing results. Therefore, practicals in performing these spirometry tests are an important part of the education provided by the medical faculty to its students. When attendees participate in this workshop, they experience one of the informative medical physiology laboratories about lung function testing as it is given to students of the University of Groningen Medical Faculty. Participants will learn to conduct lung function tests on their fellow students and generate their own physiological data. In addition, participants gain skills in performing lung function testing and learn to analyse and interpret their personalized data. Lastly, participants will have a chance to learn what these physiological concepts actually mean.

Department: Psychiatry, UMCG

Supervisor: F. D. van Es MD

Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as the loss of contact with reality. Patients experiencing psychosis may report hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) or delusional beliefs (false beliefs about what is taking place or who one is). The combination of both often causes a severe disruption of perception, thinking, emotion and behaviour. Depending on its severity, a psychotic episode may thus be accompanied by unusual or bizarre behaviour, as well as difficulty with social interaction and impairment in carrying out daily life activities. As a result, patients with psychosis are caught in a hostile environment. They are therefore in need of your dedication and medical skills: how can you meet their needs? How can you avoid stigma and promote health and social recovery?
During this workshop, participants will be able to ask questions to a psychiatrist and a patient who had suffered from psychosis.

Department: Pulse racing

Supervisors: Kristel den Engelsman, Iris Kleinbog and Linda van der Klei

PULSE Racing was founded to advance functional electrostimulation (FES) for people with spinal cord injuries. Having a spinal cord injury causes several physical problems. Besides the inability to walk and reduced mobility, people with paraplegia (inability to voluntarily move the lower parts of the body) also have a reduced aerobic functioning, disturbed blood circulation and a high risk of pressure sores. This has a negative impact on their quality of life and personal well-being. FES has a proven positive influence on the physical and mental aspects of the life of people with spinal cord injury. The activity of the muscles induced by FES can improve the aerobic functioning, blood circulation and psychological state. In this workshop, participants will have the chance to gain a deeper understanding of how functional electrostimulation works and will have the ability to speak with paralympic athletes who uses this technology to cycle. They will even have the opportunity to try the bike for themselves!

Department: Wenckebach Institute for Education and Training

Supervisor:  Monique Timmer, Instructor ERC / NRR CPR-Instructor

During this workshop, participants will be invited to engage with fellow students (3-4 people) to demonstrate a perfect resuscitation (with AED) and continue the resuscitation for some time (5-7 minutes). Students who do not participate in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation-action (CPR) are invited to assess the resuscitation: what is going well and what could be better. If you are working as a doctor, it is necessary to take leadership in a resuscitation team and have the ability to coach your CPR team. A good observation of skills is a requirement for doctors to make the CPR procedure perfect. During the CPR action, it is important to push hard (5-6 cm), push fast (100-120/minute), and minimize interruption. At the end of this workshop, participants can exercise their CPR skills with the AED. The workshop will end with a certificate of participation titled “Workshop: heroes aren’t born, they are trained,” given by the Wenckebach Training Institute of the UMCG. Participants can find the international guidelines for CPR on the site of the ERC:www.erc.edu. Furthermore, you can find a link about an international campaign for reanimation awareness: life-saver.org.uk.

Supervisor: Paul de Vos PhD

In this workshop, you will learn about the crucial steps to make sure your scientific research has the highest possible impact, starting from the very onset of your project. Conducting research is a purposeful endeavor, often funded by public resources, which means achieving relevant and practical applications is essential. 

You will discover strategies to align your research objectives with societal needs, enhance stakeholder engagement, and effectively communicate your findings to both academic and non-academic audiences. By the end of the workshop, you will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to maximize the societal and scientific relevance of your work, ensuring that your research contributes meaningfully to the community and justifies the investment of public funds.

Department:  Research Institute of Pharmacy

Supervisor: Drs. Ing. P.P.M.F.A (Patty) Mulder, Prof. E.M.J. (Sabeth) Verpoorte, PhD

Over the past couple of decades Lab-on-a-chip technologies made inroads into laboratories focusing on the development of fast chemical and bioanalytical analyses using minute volumes of sample. Micro- and nanotechnologies are used to construct interconnected microchannel networks in planar substrates, forming microfluidic devices to replace more conventional chemical vessels such as beakers, and columns to achieve ultra-small-volume (from µL to nL) liquid handling. Small handheld analysers are one result, suitable for medical diagnostic, agricultural, environmental, and other applications.

The last fifteen years, lab chip technologies have also found increasing application for cell biological studies, as cell microenvironments can be exquisitely engineered to mimic in vivo environments. It has become possible to think about assembling tissue constructs or actual tissue samples in physiological configurations in specially designed lab chip systems, so-called “organ-on-a-chip” or “human-on-a-chip” systems. This may lead to an improved capability to study in vivo processes in vitro. Organ interactions can be revealed in these systems, giving insight not only into drug toxicity but also into more subtle regulatory pathways between organs.

This workshop will give participants a short glimpse into how a laboratory was actively involved in the realization of lab chip systems for sensing/analytical chemistry and cell culture and analysis. Participants will see the fabrication of those devices and learned the basic principles of microfluidics. Besides that, they will have an opportunity to discuss other possible medical uses of the lab-on-a-chip technologies with researchers in the lab.

Department: Department of Critical Care, UMCG

Supervisors: A. (Annalies) de Bont-Prins and M. (Marije) Smit MD

Implementation of interdisciplinary teams in the ICU[IS1]  to provide care in often life-threatening situations, focused attention on the relevance of leadership behaviour. Effective, coordinated, and safe patient care challenge even the most experienced ICU teams daily. Leadership behaviour is defined as the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives. Simulation training is useful for teaching team-based crisis management skills and is now considered essential in developing and maintaining competencies for ICU workers.

In our high fidelity simulation center, participants of the workshop will become familiar with some stepwise elements of the treatment, such as resuscitation and airway management of critically ill patients. The non-technical skills such as leadership, communication, and cooperation are also emphasised. The experiences may contribute to the development of knowledge and skills in decision-making and teamwork during the treatment of critically ill patients.

Department: Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, UMCG Prosthetic Dentistry, UMCG

Supervisor:  Prof. Henny J.A. Meijer DMD PhD, Prof. Gerry M. Raghoebar DMD PhD, Wim J.W.A. Slot DMD PhD, Charlotte Jensen DMD PhD, Gerdien Telleman DMD PhD.

Losing one or more teeth in the aesthetic zone has a great impact on a person. Inserting root-form dental implants and restoring them with ceramic crowns has proven to be a reliable method to solve this problem. The dental literature shows excellent survival rates of single-tooth restorations on dental implants, varying from 96.1% to 98.9% after 7.5 years in function. Studies that address aesthetics and patient satisfaction reveal it is a very sensitive method in the eye of the professional, but that patients are generally very satisfied. This workshop comprises a lecture with the possibilities of dental implants, different treatment steps and aesthetic results. The second part of the workshop is a hands-on training in which the participant actually places a dental implant in a model, imitating the surgical part of the treatment. The workshop is supported by Straumann Netherlands.

Department: Plastic Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen

Supervisors: Vera van Aalst MD

Plastic surgeons perform a variety of different reconstructive and esthetic procedures. These vary from basic wound care to extensive reconstructions after tissue loss or removal due to trauma or disease, like cancer. Plastic surgeons at University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), collaborate with many different medical specialists. Considering the high incidence of breast cancer (more than 1 in 8 women will have breast cancer in their lifetime) a large part of our practice focuses on breast reconstruction after cancer removal. We perform these reconstructions using a patients’ own tissue, or implants. Tissue expanders are often used to expand skin and other soft tissues to create a pocket in which to place a permanent implant or to obtain more tissue to cover a defect.

The main goal of this workshop is to familiarise participants with different treatment options available for breast reconstruction. Specifically, how to use tissue expanders for use in breast reconstruction.

Department: Gastroenterology, UMCG

Supervisors: Andrea Sterkenburg TP PhD candidate, Lisanne van Heijst MD PhD candidate

The optical molecular imaging Groningen (OMIG) group aims to visualize and identify tissue and biodistribution of molecules in the near-infrared spectrum. In 2008  the first in human optical imaging trial was performed in the UMCG with a targeted FITC tracer in patients with ovarium carcinoma. This first success was followed by the foundation of the OMIG research group in 2015. Since then, more than 500 patients have entered clinical trials in both surgical and endoscopic fields. Before the procedure, patients are administered with the tracer and, with dedicated fluorescence camera systems, we can directly visualize these near infrared tracers intra-operatively and provide direct feedback. This provides information on the location of the tumor or biodistribution of a medicine. During this workshop, participants will track tumors in a phantom model and try to resect all of these with the aid of our dedicated fluorescence camera systems.

Department: Cardiothoracic Surgery, UMCG

Supervisors: Dr. Y.L. Douglas MD PhD and Dr. W. Bouma MD PhD

Heart failure is an increasing worldwide problem. Until recently, heart transplantation was the only effective option to prolong the survival of patients with end-stage heart failure. Nowadays it can be treated by implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In this workshop, the problem of end-stage heart failure, the relevant cardiac anatomy, and concepts of different types of left ventricular assist devices will be discussed (emergency implantation and destination therapy). The implantation technique of an internal LVAD used for destination therapy will be shown. After this workshop, medical students will understand the entity of heart failure and the concepts and problems related to LVAD therapy.

Department: Burn Centre, Groningen

Supervisor: M.E. van Eck MD

The treatment of patients with (extensive) burns remains a major challenge. Two main factors define burn severity: depth of burn injury and total body surface (TBSA) area burnt. In burn wounds, not only the thermally injured skin and the underlying anatomical structures are affected, but there are some pathophysiological changes that influence the whole body. This workshop entailed an interactive presentation and a number of clinical cases in which the students could practice examining a burn wound.

Department: Surgery, UMCG

Supervisor: Arne de Niet, MD, PhD

In abdominal surgery bowel resections are often performed. In most cases an anastomosis is made. This means that the two ends of the bowel are attached to each other. In this workshop, different types of anastomoses are discussed and various techniques are explained. A large part of the program will consist of a hands-on workshop, in which actual intestinal anastomoses can be made by the students. After this workshop, the students will understand the different anastomoses, suturing techniques and pitfalls.

Department: Research Support Facility – Central Animal Facility

Supervisors: Annemieke van Oosten PhD, Michel Weij Ing, Daryll Eichhorn Ing

Microsurgical techniques have gained importance in recent years. The more delicate and sophisticated a surgical technique is, the more it requires training and education. The purpose of this workshop was to teach the students the proper way to handle their surgical instruments, how to tie a suture in the correct way, and to provide an opportunity to test their hands in the fine art and skill of suturing.

More to be announced soon!

Over the last decades serious gaming has become increasingly more popular in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Within this workshop participants will have the opportunity to experience a serious VR game that motivates patients with cervical dystonia to do their physiotherapy exercises. Furthermore, participants will learn about how games attempt to nudge patients into doing their exercises in the way the therapist wants them to do and discover how important the role of the therapist is in such a technology driven intervention. Finally they will get the opportunity to implement their own physiotherapy program in an interactive game.

Department: Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Supervisors: Marco Versluis MD PhD, Girbe Buist PhD

Planetary health is about achieving the highest attainable standard of health, wellbeing, and equity worldwide through judicious attention to the human systems—political, economic, and social—that shape the future of humanity and the Earth’s natural systems that define the safe environmental limits within which humanity can flourish. But what does this mean for the world we live in today and tomorrow, and how do we deal with the dauntingly complex problems characteristic to Planetary Health?

This workshop is for students of all disciplines. Participants collaborate on real world challenges within the domain of Planetary health such as draughts, floods, vector borne diseases, microbial resistance, social justice and maintaining health equity. Using design thinking as an approach, they formulate simple solutions to elements that constitute these challenges. The workshop aims to teach participants about the concept of Planetary health, and demonstrate that interdisciplinary collaboration offers opportunities to move forward.

Supervisors: Femke van der Zant 

During this workshop students will gain insight in the influence of healthcare on climate change and the paradoxical influence of climate change on the health of patients. The supervisors will illustrate the importance of reduction of carbon emissions produced by health facilities. To reduce these carbon emissions in the healthcare sector sustainable innovations are essential. Students will work in groups (4-5 people) and design their own sustainable innovation plan based on their experience in the hospital, lab or other (bio)medical department. An example of this is the “No risk, no glove” policy or the change from disposable to reusable materials. Students will be guided in the design of their plan by the supervisors. At the end of the session, every group gets to pitch their plan. Good ideas for sustainable innovations could be assessed and implemented in the UMCG, if possible!