PhD student training
Introduction
PhD student retreat
Education & Supervision Plan
The OOA teaching program consists of specialized courses that cover specific topics in the field of oncology, an annual retreat and meetings with international experts. This educational programme is flexible and focussed on cutting edge scientific topics, covering functional genomics to animal models of cancer and from protein structure to invasion and metastasis. The courses are usually composed of lectures with several national and international specialized speakers, practical training and meet-the-professor sessions in which the students can discuss their own work with an invited expert. Both national and international experts from outside the OOA are frequently invited to participate in these courses. Courses can last from several days up to one to two weeks. All courses are taught in English.
Students are expected to spend two weeks per year on OOA courses. They make a selection out of these courses, in compliance with their interest and research background. Over time the number of courses has increased and recently also more clinically focused courses have been organized. In addition, attention is paid to transferable skills like 'writing and presenting in scientific English'.
Apart from taking courses, it is important that PhD-students become familiar with activities related to transfer of knowledge, such as keeping up with professional literature, participation in work discussions and (reference) meetings of the student's own research group and - in consultation with the supervisor or promotor - of other research groups. In addition, students are expected to participate in local, national and international scientific meetings.
Students are encouraged to participate in courses offered by organizations such as EMBO, FEBS and others. Financial support is available.
In principle only OOA graduate students are allowed to participate in the courses. However, when enough place is available, also Research Master Oncology and graduate students from outside the OOA are allowed to participate in OOA courses.
A highlight of the educational programme is the three-day annual graduate student retreat, focussing entirely on research conducted by the graduate students themselves. First-year students give a poster presentation of their work. In subsequent years, students give an oral presentation. In addition, PhD students are responsible for chairing sessions. In recent years, students participated in peer review of presentations given by others in order to award the prizes for the best poster and best oral presentations. The retreat trains important skills in presentation and peer review but it also provides an overview of research conducted within OOA at an early stage of the student's career, contributing significantly to active networking between different groups. To stimulate this interaction, an abstract book containing research activities of all participating students is distributed. In this way, basic science students learn about clinical science, and vice versa.
For a short report of OOA retreat 2010; please click here . For a impression of the retreat 2010 please click here. For registration OOA retreat 2011 please click here.
Education and supervision plan
The three institutes have their own format for the Education & Supervision Plan (Onderwijs- en Begeleidingsplan -OBP). Please contact your promotor or contact person at your own institute to obtain this format.
