ERASMUS MC HOSTS GLIORESOLVE COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION TRAINING EVENT

The second GLIORESOLVE training event focussing on communication and dissemination took place in early February at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. The event was hosted by Dr Martine Lamfers.  

On day 1, Fred Balvert (Science information officer, Head of the Congress Office of the Erasmus MC and Director of Science Gallery Rotterdam) led the sessions, which focussed on communication with various non-scientific audiences, for example with the press and media. It also gave the students the opportunity to consider all of the various stakeholders with whom it is important to connect during the project.

The second day of the course, led by Drs Jasper Rip (Postdoctoral researcher, department of Immunology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam) and Stefan Neys (Postdoctoral researcher, department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC Rotterdam), focussed on presentation to a scientific audience through posters and through 3 minute ‘elevator pitches’.

Posters are a very common way by which research is shared at conferences, and it is important that posters are informative, easy to follow and eye-catching whilst clearly explaining the research. An elevator pitch is a brief and catchy verbal overview of your research that you should be able to deliver in the time it takes to ride a lift a few floors with a key investor or collaborator! Practising these key communication skills will benefit our students during their PhDs and beyond.  

In the afternoon there was a Rotterdam Harbour Cruise networking event which was followed by a network dinner at the historical Hotel New York, which is located in the former headquarters of the Holland America Line on the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam, where thousands of emigrants used to leave for North America.

The final day of the course was focussed on communication with patients, and the importance of patients being involved in research. We were delighted to welcome Kathy Oliver (Chair and a Founding Co-Director of the International Brain Tumour Alliance [IBTA]) and Klaske Hofstee (Chairman of the Board, STOPhersentumoren (STOP Brain Tumours), The Netherlands). Talks focussed on the journeys of brain tumour patients and their families as well as on funding mechanisms and collaborative projects that involve brain tumour patients. Finally, the students had the opportunity to give their 3-minute elevator pitches with constructive feedback being given from their peers and from the trainers.

We would like to thank all those involved in the course; Martine Lamfers, Sieger Leenstra, Fred Balvert, Jasper Rip, Stefan Neys, Kathy Oliver, Klaske Hofstee and Noa Faaij.

You can find links to the International Brain Tumour Alliance and to STOPhersentumoren Foundation in the Links page of the website.