Translational research on the effects of oestrogen on pelvic floor function and pelvic floor surgery.

Biosketch

Eva Vodegel is a PhD candidate in urogynegology, where she researches the effects of oestrogen on pelvic floor function and pelvic floor surgery. She earned a master’s degree in medicine at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and participated in the parallel Honours College Leadership programme where she developed her personal and professional leadership qualities. Eva has successfully combined her studies with her position as chairman of the Groninger Student Orchestra Mira. In this role she demonstrated her skills in management, problem solving, public speaking, and decision making; all fundamental skills to carry out the projects in her current research.

Remarkably, music has always played a prominent part in her life. She managed to combine her passion for music not only with leadership, but also with science, where she wrote her senior thesis in high school on the effects of music on cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients. An award-winning thesis on national level, where she received an honorarium of €2500,- (Silver at SLO-profielmeesterstukwedstrijd & winner of ‘Patiënt Centraal Prijs’ by Innovatiefonds Zorgverzekeraars). Subsequently she was awarded with a Fulbright scholarship of $10.000, and studied Liberal Arts & Sciences at Rowan University (USA) during 1 year. She was delighted to use this opportunity to build her first international network and got inspired to work with international collaborations later on. In 2019 she received a ZonMw grant of €20.000,- for "Meer Kennis met Minder Dieren – a systematic literature review of experimental animal research".

Presently, Eva conducts preclinical, translational and clinical research in collaboration with Belgium and South Africa. Together with her team she looks for potential co-benefits of oestrogen to healing conditions, pelvic floor functioning and associated human health impacts. She is good at working in multi-centred international collaborative projects thanks to her high motivation, fast and solution oriented thinking. With this enthusiasm for science, healthcare and people, she aims to become an outstanding researcher and gynaecologist.