Interdisciplinary research projects on Health

Radboud University recognises the fundamental role of interdisciplinary research in addressing the major challenges facing society today. To encourage top level academic collaboration, interfaculty research programmes have been established.

Below you can find more information about all current interdisciplinary research projects, focused on Health. Visit this page for all interdisciplinary research projects. You can find more projects on the Faculty of Science's Interdisciplinary Research Platform. 

Projects
- Minor healthcare communication, management and organisation
- Radboud Consortium for Glycoscience
- Cutting-edge innovation in prevention; from idea to interfaculty community
- Postgraduate program ‘Meaning in Interprofessional Healthcare’ (PAO-MIH)
- Teaching Program ‘Health Care Humanities’
- Brainchain: From Molecule to Society for the Treatment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Platform for research on diversity in sex and gender
- FELIX-TML Collaboration: A New Route to Biomarker Discovery in Medicine

Minor healthcare communication, management and organisation

Interdisciplinary collaboration is increasingly required to answer pressing questions in healthcare about innovation, affordability and person-centeredness. The interdisciplinary minor Healthcare communication, management and organisation addresses these issues, with the goal to prepare students for future challenges. In two courses, bachelor students from three faculties work together in interdisciplinary teams to explore current academic and societal issues. By experiencing the added value of each discipline, students learn broaden their perspective while becoming aware of their own strengths.

The minor serves as a testing ground for research and educational innovations; its effects on interdisciplinary learning are examined in a PhD project.

More information: Prof. dr. H.H.J. Das
Faculties involved: Faculty of Arts, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen School of Management.
Project started in: 2018

Radboud Consortium for Glycoscience

The Radboud Consortium for Glycoscience (RCG) is established in 2019 to foster collaborations between internationally recognized research groups at the Science and Medical faculties of Radboud University. Glycoscience is a unique field of research with a major and broad impact on life sciences, ranging from developmental biology to personalized medicine. To fully grasp this potential and mature the field of Glycoscience, joining forces of basic and translational scientists is essential.

Glycoscience involves the study of sugars and glycans on proteins and lipids. Researchers within the RCG are at the forefront of technical developments to better analyze, study, and modulate glycosylation of proteins. Furthermore, a wide range of biological processes and diseases is being studied, ranging from neurological disease, cancer immunology to infectious disease. This initiative creates a unique infrastructure to enhance knowledge and technology transfer. The RCG aims to:

1. Increase visibility and awareness for Glycoscience
2. Develop educational programs for Glycoscience
3. Development and transfer technology and knowledge on Glycoscience

More information: Prof. dr. D. Lefeber / website
Faculties involved: Radboud University Medical Centre, Faculty of Science
Project started in: 2018

Cutting-edge innovation in prevention; from idea to interfaculty community

A community-structured project to increase inter-group and inter-faculty connectedness on the prevention topic. This overarching Radboud community on prevention is complementary and supportive to initiatives that already cover a part of the range. It also enables easier connection with the ‘outside’ world, for example in the form of dedicated ‘living labs’ in the region. There will be 3-monthly meetings around specific topics to explore the interest and input from the several groups. Internationally renowned experts on interdisciplinary prevention research will be invited to address the topic in a keynote and bring the discussion to a higher level. In addition, we will invite these speakers for consultation on running projects and emerging research ideas.

Within two years there will be a connecting ‘Nijmegen’ mission and vision regarding prevention. We’ll have an integrated stakeholder analysis (including citizens and companies), have generated plans for large-scale interfaculty grant proposals and an infrastructure. The initiative also aims to prevent ‘duplication of efforts’ in this rapidly expanding field, as well as inspiring overarching interaction between groups and initiatives.

More information: Prof. dr. P. Assendelft
Faculties involved: Initiated by Radboud University Medical Centre. In cooperation with Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Social Sciences and Nijmegen School of Management.
Project started in: 2019

Postgraduate program ‘Meaning in Interprofessional Healthcare’ (PAO-MIH)

The postgraduate program ‘Meaning in Interprofessional Healthcare’ (PAO-MIH) aims to train spiritual caregivers, physicians, health psychologists and nurse practitioners to develop and enhance skills regarding sensitivity for and counseling on meaning and spirituality in person-centered interprofessional care.

The curriculum will consist of three major modules addressing acute, chronic and terminal care, focusing on concepts of meaning, diagnostic skills and referral in clinical settings, and both personal and professional development.

More information: P.T. Chew MA
Faculties involved: Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies and Radboud University Medical Centre. In close cooperation with Radboudumc Health Academy. Initiated by Prof. Hans Schilderman (FPTR) and Wim Smeets Ph.D. (Radboudumc), and advised by Prof. Yvonne Engels (Radboudumc) and Marjon Breteler M.Ed (RHA).
Project started in: 2018

Teaching Program ‘Health Care Humanities’

In this project multiple faculties will develop an intercalated program in Health Care Humanities (modular; Masters level) with a twofold purpose:

1. To offer (bio)medical students, through humanities and closely-related social sciences, a deeper understanding of their future work in health care and research as a humane and person-centered enterprise.
   
   
2. To thoroughly introduce the domain of health care to students of other faculties who aspire to focus on health care in the future.

With bringing these students together in a multidisciplinary program such as this, the initiative aims to contribute to the forming of creative, broadly oriented and critical professionals that can face up to the challenges concerning our health, illness and health care. The development of the Health Care Humanitiesprogram will start on September 1, 2020. The program itself starts in September 2022.

More information: Dr. J. van Gurp (jelle.vangurp@radboudumc.nl)
Faculties involved: Faculty of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies.
Project started in: 2018

Brainchain: From Molecule to Society for the Treatment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

BRAINCHAIN is an integrative faculty approach to bring together a Centre of Expertise on the biological understanding, clinical strategies and management, and societal embedding of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Mendelian Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders with a large social and economic impact: it affects around 1:250 live born children.

By inclusion of specialized actors along the complete value chain (clinicians, scientists, advisors, and legislative experts) – all present on our campus - we feel that we are well-prepared for these challenges from lab to patient by gathering all needed competences required for excellent research, developments and innovation. This with the ultimate aim to develop a platform for personalized intervention strategies for NDDs, thus enhancing patient well-being and promoting societal participation by reevaluating and revising public health regulations and legislation.

More information: Dr. S. Kolk
Faculties involved: Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and Faculty of Law.
Project started in: 2019

Platform for research on diversity in sex and gender

With this interdisciplinary research platform, researchers and researcher-practitioners aim to contribute towards transcending the boundaries of disciplinary research on transgender and intersex topics and to create and stimulate dialogue on these topics.

The platform gathers the expertise and knowledge on diversity in sex and gender from different domains (political sciences, gender studies, language and communication sciences, ethics, endocrinology and medical psychology), and from the practice of multidisciplinary trans and intersex care. As an interdisciplinary research platform, we aim to stimulate research based in the empirical reality and societal context, and on the needs and experiences of transgender and intersex persons.

More information: Marion Wasserbauer / website (EN) / website (NL)
Faculties involved: Radboud University Medical Centre, Faculty of Arts, Nijmegen School of Management.
Project started in: 2020

FELIX-TML Collaboration: A New Route to Biomarker Discovery in Medicine

More information about this project will be added later...