Daan Baeten – from biomedical scientist to impactful life sciences and health care consultant
Daan started Governance and Leadership in European Public Health (GLEPH) with a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences. Driven by his fascination with policy-making, strategy, governance and communication, Daan shifted his focus past lab-based research. He now works as a Strategy and Policy Consultant in Life Sciences and Health Care for a Big Four consultancy firm with a clear mission: assist organisations that positively impact people or society to excel in their domain.
Daan: “I was always interested in the European Union, especially in the fields of healthcare, pharma, geopolitics, transport, and mobility. Choosing GLEPH was an easy choice, as the programme focuses on the complexity of European Union processes and prepares students who want to work as health leaders and consultants.”
PBL: a fitting academic teaching method
Because I was set on obtaining a master’s degree, I applied at Maastricht University for the master's in Biomedical Sciences and afterwards GLEPH.” Maastricht University uses the Problem-Based Learning method, a very active way of learning with short deadlines, lots of interaction and a focus on practical skills. “Compared to my bachelor’s degree, all of a sudden, I became a high-achieving student. I even took on the Premium Excellence programme.”
From theory to practice: applying frameworks and models
Although Daan started GLEPH as an experienced Problem-Based Learning student, he was still very new to the content of the programme. “Biomedical Sciences is practical with a focus on quantitative research. GLEPH applies more qualitative research methods and teaches you how to work with different frameworks and models. In the beginning, those were very abstract concepts to me coming from Biomedical Sciences, but after a year I had a full comprehension of applying these methods to organisations.” As an example, Daan uses the European Observatory’s TAPIC framework, used for rigorous and context-sensitive analyses of particular systems and policies.
Science, with room for exploration
Daan often relies on the scientific research skills taught in GLEPH for his day-to-day work. However, as a consultant, he is not bound to rigid guidelines of scientific methods. “I combine my knowledge of research methodology with my strengths in communication, science, governance and policy to provide strategic support for organisations in the public and/or healthcare sector.”
A programme for all ages
Daan started the programme in a small-scale group, with students ranging from 21 to 65 years old. “That made it really interesting because more experienced students could give an idea of the career opportunities within GLEPH and enriched other students with their expertise. I still keep in touch with them, it’s convenient to contact each other if there are questions about best practices or policies in certain countries, or how to apply a framework to a specific case.”
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