Two alumni look back on their education and the direction they followed. Even though they started on the same road, it ultimately led to other places. Tom and Marie-Astrid both studied medicine at Ghent University.
Tom Holvoet - gastroenterologist at AZ Nikolaas and UZ Gent
“It has always been my dream to become a doctor, ever since I was a toddler. I never really considered anything else. In secondary school, I was very interested in sciences and the social aspect of the job appealed to me as well. After seven years of medicine, I did two years of general internal medicine. Before specializing further as a gastroenterologist, I did another four years as a doctor. These years of specialization are very instructive, but can also be quite demanding, with 80-hour weeks and night work. You really have to be passionate to fight your way through. But the final job is much more attractive, with more freedom."
"During my training, I already gained experience at the gastroenterology department in Sint-Niklaas and Ghent. I have now been working there for a year as a gastroenterologist. Apart from consultations, I do camera keyhole surgery, and this combination makes my job very varied. As a gastroenterologist, you examine many organs (in addition to the stomach and intestines, the liver and pancreas), so you come into contact with many different diseases. I still draw on my general pathology subjects from the past. With my specialization, I could go on to become an emergency doctor or work in the pharmaceutical industry. Doctors with a scientific background are in great demand there.”
Marie-Astrid Denys - Medical Affairs Manager at Daiichi Sankyo
“It's not that I dreamed of practicing medicine as a child. I didn't know any doctors besides my family doctor. I came from a science focus in secondary school and was also interested in bioengineering, biotechnology, chemistry and physics. In the end, I chose medicine because I didn’t have to make a herbarium in that course (laughs)."
"After seven years of medicine, I started specializing in urology, which I combined with a PhD. But I began to have more and more doubts. Consultations were taking a lot of energy out of me and I had the feeling that I was no longer in control of my own life. I wanted to manage my own schedule again and switched to the pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo. In the medical department, I prepare the launch of new products. I ask experts for advice, coordinate product studies and examine possible collaborations with doctors and professional associations. The variety and working in a team are fantastic. The sector is very innovative, I am constantly learning. The broad medical knowledge from my training now helps me to read up on new areas."
"When you study medicine, everyone assumes that you will become a GP or a specialist, but you can actually choose to change direction at any time. It's important that you do what you enjoy.”
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