About us
This blog is about the double burden of disease due to communicable and non-communicable respiratory diseases in India. This topic will be further explained in the next blog post. First of all, we, the authors of this blog who all share an interest in global health, would like to introduce ourselves before we start explaining this double burden in India.
Hi! My name is Caitlin MacMillan Maartens, I’m 20 years old and was born and raised in Amsterdam. After finishing high school, I started the interdisciplinary bachelor “earth and economics”, which covers numerous topics concerning earth sciences, economics, environment and durability with the aims to make the earth a more sustainable place, while minimally affecting the economy. However, besides sustainability, I am very interested in disease, medicine and health (systems), which is the reason why I chose to follow the minor of Global Health. My background in earth and economics could provide a good basis for a different view on global health compared to other bachelor studies. I look forward to researching the double burden of communicable and non-communicable respiratory diseases in India with my fellow students and authors.
Hello, my name is Jippe Miedema and I am 21 years old. Currently i am studying a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This study covers a range of health related topics, but have always been most interested in Global Health with a focus on developing countries. I already finished an internship at Simavi where I explored teaching methods to educate girls living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh) on their sexual and reproductive health and rights. During this internship I learned so much, but I also realised that there was still so much I’d like to know more about. Therefore I am now following the minor Global Health. After conducting research on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Bangladesh I am now excited to broaden my knowledge about the double burden of respiratory diseases in India!
Hi! My name is Lieke Steendam and I am 21 years old. I’m following the Bachelor Health and Life Sciences, and currently doing the minor Global Health, both at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. As long as I can remember, I have a great interest in health worldwide, but also especially in countries who are less wealthy, also known as developing countries. So, choosing the minor Global Health, was an easy choice for me. By following this minor I hope to broaden my view of global health, so I can learn about health in all countries; low-, middle- and high income countries. I’m really looking forward to doing this assignment about the double burden of disease in India. I hope to learn a lot about this specific country and its health (problems).
Hello! My name is Marlou Groot, I am 20 years old and am born and raised in Alkmaar, a city northern to Amsterdam. Last summer, I finished my bachelor in medicine and am now waiting for my internships to start. As I had more than 1,5 years to wait, I decided I wanted to use this time to gain some in-depth in global health. As my own study focuses on a disease and the effects of it on the body, the minor global health focuses on the effects of disease on the world. This is also why I want to use this minor to see if I eventually want to specialize in this field of research. For now we will focus on respiratory diseases in India, which to me is extra interesting because of the relation to air pollution. I want to see if the burden of disease is bigger there, because of the toxic air they have to breath.
Hello my name is Charmain Kemper, I am 21 years old and am born and raised in Amsterdam. I am currently following the bachelor Health Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and I am now doing the minor Global Health. Since high school I was very interested in health related topics and I really enjoyed learning about other countries. Therefore, choosing this minor was not a difficult choice for me. I hope that I will gain new knowledge and understanding about health in different countries. So far I find this minor very interesting and I think I will eventually do the master Global Health. In this assignment we will look at the double burden of respiratory diseases in India and I am excited to find out the results of this topic!
