Dr Els Licht-Strunk, VU Medical Centre
In 2001 I started with a 6-year combined programme for vocational training and a PhD project. During this period I did a master in epidemiology. In 2006 I finished my vocational training and in 2008 I finished my PhD project on the prognosis of late-life depression in general practice.
At the moment I'm working as a GP in Amstelveen for 2 days a week. Amstelveen is a town to the south of Amsterdam. I work in an academic practice with three GPs, a trainee, three practice nurses and five assistants.
Next to my clinical job, I work at the department of general practice of the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam as a postdoctoral researcher for two days a week. I'm working on a qualitative research project in which we interview GPs and mental health professionals to learn about their experiences with a collaborative care intervention for depression in general practice.
Furthermore, I'm member of the committee writing the revision of the Dutch depression guideline for general practice and I am one of the editors of 'Bijblijven', an educational series for general practitioners which is published ten times a year.