LUMC Global PhD candidate Ni Made Hustrini publishes first paper as first author

Leiden professor of Cellular Immunology of Parasitic Infections Maria Yazdanbakhsh receives the prestigious NWO Spinoza Prize this year. This border-crossing scientist contributes to more effective vaccines against parasitic infections and better medication for inflammatory diseases. She will spend the 2.5 million euros she receives on, among other things, developing young talent, with an emphasis on diversity.

We celebrate a proud moment for the LUMC Global team as Ni Made Hustrini, who started her PhD project about a year ago, publishes her first paper as first author. Together with fellow authors Endang Susalit and Prof. Joris Rotmans her article titled ‘Prevalence and risk factors for chronic kidney disease in Indonesia: An analysis of the National Basic Health Survey 2018’has been recently published in the Journal of Global Health, a subject related to Made’s PhD project on chronic kidney disease.

Made has been at the LUMC for about six months in a collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine of the Universitas Indonesia and the Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital, a top referral national hospital in Indonesia. During her PhD project she will come to the LUMC again, but will spend most of her time in Indonesia close to her family. “It’s quite impactful for Made to be here on her own while having a family back at home, which only goes to show how motivated she is to work on her PhD and related projects. She’s very skilled and independent”, says Joris.

Made’s publication and research work is all the more impressive considering she’s also still active in clinical work in Indonesia. But despite the heavy workload, Made is doing exceptionally well, further showcased in her recent publication. Joris: “If I look at the progress Made has made in this first year, I’m not concerned at all that she will finish her PhD despite having multiple obligations. That Made has published her first article in the first year is impressive in itself, never mind the fact she’s had to manage multiple responsibilities at the same time.”

So what motivates Made in her busy schedule? “Finishing a PhD is a personal goal of mine. The LUMC allows me to really delve into a PhD project next to my work back home, which is different from if I were to do it in Indonesia. And I really just want be a role model for my children”, Made beautifully states.

Read Made’s first publication here.

This year, multiple LUMC Global PhD projects have been set up to stimulate international research collaborations in important topics within Life Sciences & Health. It is our hope that these international research projects will ultimately benefit global healthcare. It is with this idea in mind that we also welcomed Indonesian nephrologist Ni Made Hustrini as an LUMC Global PhD student. She will try to set important steps in unraveling the underlying causes of chronic kidney disease in Indonesia and in understanding a better way to manage it.