MHeNs Research Day 2024

Wednesday 20 March 2024
08.30-17.30
Van der Valk, Maastricht

The 16th Annual MHeNS Research Day will focus on co-creation, working together with experts by experience. Co-creation refers to research methods that involve experts by experience (i.e., the end users or target population) in developing ideas and concepts and in contributing to the research project, its preparation, execution, and implementation. Active participation of these experts in health research practice is important to generate societal impact of outcomes, as innovations will more likely be implemented and disseminated in clinical practice. Co-creation has become an essential element of clinical research.

In MHeNS the collaboration with experts by experience has acquired a central place in research and we have invited two co-creating teams to share their experiences and results of their collaboration. Dr Lizzy Boots of the Alzheimer Centrum Limburg and Frans Lemmers, expert by experience, will take us along the development and implementation of the cross-diagnostic and online self-management intervention for caregivers of people with neurodegenerative disorders, Partner in Balance. Dr Kim Rijkers, neurosurgeon and researcher, and her collaborator by experience Amy Vervoort, will report on patient-centered research projects in people with epilepsy who are candidates for resective brain surgery.

We also invited Dr Sonja van Weely, senior Program Manager at ZonMW to share the funding and research policies of co-creation.

According to tradition, the program also includes the research pitches and interactive sessions on projects conducted across our themes and divisions.

We believe that this year’s Research Day is an inspiring event for all of us and an opportunity to co-create ideas and plans with your peers.

For our external PhD students, living abroad, we will make it possible to attend this day online.

Best regards,

Prof. David Linden

Scientific Director - School for Mental Health and Neuroscience