Hi, my name is Judith Verlind, and I studied BMG already a long, long time ago (1994-1999) 😊. I have a lot of good memories, and made a lot of new friends, I am still seeing.

From the beginning, I joined committees like the EJC (eerstejaarscommissie), the ‘symposiumcommissie’, and in my third year I joined the Board of the Faculty Association. We were the 14^th Board called ‘het 14e FaBelMachtiGe Bestuur’. We had a great time and I learned a lot.

I always had a thing for Africa, and in my last year of university me and my roommate/friend/classmate decided to try to go to Africa for our master thesis. Nobody had done that before, BMG was focused on the Netherlands and the Dutch Health Care System, so we were pioneers. I’d like to think that we sort of paved the way for all the students that went abroad in later years! AnneLoes van Staa put us in touch with Wemos, a Dutch organization for improving health care in developing countries, and in return they put us in contact with HelpAge Zimbabwe. Together with a professional from HA Zimbabwe, we carried out research after the health care needs of the elderly in Zimbabwe. We were based in Harare, the capital city, but we also paid visits to small villages in the rural areas. Those four months in Zimbabwe were great and inspiring.

After my graduation, I applied for the Rijkstraineeship. One year earlier, two BMG students were successfully admitted and based on their experiences and enthusiasm I decided to apply as well. It was a tough and long procedure, but I was selected as one of the 12 trainees at the Ministry of Health! To be honest, I had no idea what it would be like, to work at the Ministry. But I had a great time, it was such an interesting and educational place to start your working life/career. I worked at several departments, and had the privilege to represent the Ministry and the Netherlands within and outside our country (among others in the field of drug policy). I ended my career at the ministry as a sr. project leader in this overarching department ‘Programs and Projects’.

All in all, I worked ten years at the ministry. Then I decided it was time to broaden my scope, and I came to work as an advisor at an institution for the elderly. Thereafter, I worked three years as a health consultant and currently I work at CZ (Health Insurer, mainly in the south of the Netherlands, 21% market share). I am a senior project leader and am working on various projects, mainly in the field of oncology and mental health care. I really feel that quality of care is highly valuated by CZ and I am proud to be able to contribute to improving the quality of care in the Netherlands.