Alumnus testimonial
Lisanne Kiestra - Junior consultant at the Institute for Positive Health
After completing my Master, I began as Business Unit Talent for Q-Consult. I had done my internship at this consulting company and I wanted to learn more about the operational side of healthcare. During the assignment I then had, I learned a lot about administrative processes in healthcare, particularly in youth care. However, after half a year I concluded that my heart really wasn’t in this field of work but that working as a consultant did appeal to me.
Because of the diversity of projects, my work differs every day.
Due to my Master’s thesis commissioned by Vereniging Arts & Leefstijl I realised that I was enthusiastic about themes such as lifestyle medicine, Positive Health and health promotion. So I was very happy that I could quickly begin as a junior consultant at the Institute for Positive Health (iPH). This knowledge institute is the motor behind the Positive Health movement. I think that the philosophy of Positive Heath, originally conceived by Machteld Huber, forms the basis of both the Bachelor’s and the Master’s. The broad view of healthcare that is elaborated in six dimensions is central to the entire study programme. I feel at home in this area not only because of my knowledge but also because of the skills that I learned during my studies. I profit every day from being able to work well with others, being analytical and having a critical attitude.
As a junior consultant I work with colleagues on diverse projects that stimulate, strengthen and accelerate the movement around Positive Health. We do this together by sharing knowledge about Positive Health. One example of a project I’m working on now is to make lifestyle medicine and Positive Health part of medical education. For this project I attend discussions with medical faculties to discern what their needs are and how we and other organisations can support them in these needs. Because of the diversity of projects, my work differs every day and I have the chance to develop in a number of areas. The team at iPH is pretty small but, thanks to the amount of knowledge, the enthusiasm and passion, we make an enormous impact together. This is what I enjoy about working at iPH!