The growing COVID-19 outbreak confronts us all with unprecedented challenges. We are all working and holding meetings from home, postponed our experiments and study investigations, and cancelled our conferences. Wherever possible, our research is continuing – albeit remotely.
In this newsletter we provide you with an array of useful resources, tips & tricks for home working and a photo contest. Also, we are working hard to make sure you receive the support you require, but need your input through a short survey.
This outbreak requires solidarity. Let’s work together to come up with new solutions to the challenges we are facing. Don't limit your challenges, challenge your limits!
Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected. The APROVE board
YOUR HELP IS WANTED
Want to help out at the Amsterdam UMC?
Are you not working in the primary health care right now, but want to help out in the hospital? First of all, you are great! Second of all, discuss this with your supervisor and fill in the form on Tulp Intranet (LINK) made available by Human Resources. They will match you with the departments who are most in need of your help.
Want to do COVID-19 research? Would you like to share your expertise and get involved in COVID-19 research? Again, you're great! Checkhttps://crowdfightcovid19.org/and you might be able to contribute!
CORONA PhD IMPACT SURVEY
Survey: APROVE and ProVUmc initiative
APROVE, ProVUmc and Promovendi Network Netherlands would like to know what your biggest struggles are to help develop policy and anticipate on future challenges. Please take a moment to fill in the survey and let us know about your situation: LINK
WORK-FROM-HOME TIPS
Conference calls and working together on documents
The IT department made Microsoft Teams available to have online meetings, chats or video calls from home and SharePointOnline to work online with several people on the same documents. Check Tulp Intranet (LINK) for more information.
Be aware that some programs like Zoom cannot be used to discuss patient related stuff, since privacy is not guaranteed through this US based program! Please choose wisely which program you use.
APROVE highly recommends: Think ahread about your PhD trajectory!
At this time you probably already experience problems and delays in your PhD project. We all have many questions and uncertainties. When can I start again with patient inclusion, data acquisition, experiments? Will my supervisor be too busy catching up on outpatients, surgeries, other "lost" work? Will I be able to graduate as plannend? Just to name a few...
We foresee that COVID-19 and its aftermath will challenge our progress in a way that many of us and our supervisors may not know how to address. Thus, it will be vital for everyone to think about the future of their PhD trajectory right now and discuss this with your supervisors! Consider the advantages and disadvantages of several scenarios. Which projects will you able to finish, which not? Can you write a theoretical chapter for your PhD or already start on your thesis summary instead?
We are in close contact with the Graduate School and will keep you updated on the latest information, but you can start today! Rethink how you plan your projects, conduct your research and pursue your academic endeavours like conference presentation and publications. This will help you achieve those goals that you set out to do during your PhD - and that you planned, years ago or even recently.
Stay in touch with your colleagues
We encourage all of you to also stay in touch with your colleagues. Let's try to be there for one another in these difficult times. Do a regular coffee break on set times using Zoom or Skype, have digital Friday drinks, organize a Zoom or Skype pubquiz for your department or just chat about the weather, your cat or whatever else.
(Impression of our last Zoom meeting)
Photo competition We are very curious about your home-offices. Do you dare to share your creative home-office? Post a picture on Instagram and tag@aprove_amc and add the hashtag #pimpyourhomeoffice, or mail the picture to aprove@amc.uva.nl.
Impress us, the most creative home-office will receive an amazing prize!!
