Role model Jason van Genderen

Who?

“When I moved to the Netherlands from Suriname with my mother in 1998, for the first few months I mostly wondered what on earth we were doing in such a cold country. But I got the better future my mother envisioned, and I am still enormously grateful to her for that.” Jason van Genderen (32), a pediatrician by training, became fascinated with medicine at an early age. “When I was four, I ended up in the hospital with an inguinal hernia. When I was put on a cap prior to that surgery to put me to sleep, I tried with all my might to stay awake. I wanted so badly to know what would happen next.” In addition to that interest in medical procedures, the human aspect also appealed to him. “My uncle died of malaria in Suriname, a death that could have been prevented. It made me also see medicine as an opportunity to help people.” Eventually, Van Genderen became the first in his family to study medicine. “My mother had me when she was seventeen; she worked extremely hard and really did everything she could to give me the best life possible. That I was finally accepted to study medicine at the UvA was an absolute victory for both of us.”

Specialty?

“During my studies, I spent several years on the board of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA). A student association with an international and idealistic character. Sure, there were also just drinks. But IFMSA's main mission is to contribute to improving global health care. With medical students from around the world, I collaborated at home and abroad on projects with topics such as poverty, human rights, access to safe abortion and international epidemics such as malaria, TB and HIV. From countries where care is better, you take things away that you can tweak here. And in the countries where things are not so good, you learn a lot from their ingenuity. In fact, all doctors-to-be should know something about global health. It made me realize how privileged we are here. You also learn to work together with people of different (cultural) backgrounds and work ethics. Every doctor benefits from that, I think. In any case, it makes you humble.”

Van Genderen is not averse to some extracurricular activities in addition to an already tough study anyway. Last year, together with two like-minded colleagues - Nilou Ashtiani and Milène Alferink - he founded CoMaster, a platform with short educational videos for residents. “During my internships, I noticed that the quality of education is still quite dependent on where you do your internship. But that basic knowledge should be the same for everyone. On CoMaster's YouTube channel, coassistants can now find free videos with basic medical knowledge to prepare for their work in the hospital. Our mission: for the next generation to do even better than us.” With several colleagues, he has now started the Radiqs Foundation to promote inclusive communication within medicine. And so in the meantime, he is also “just” a physician assistant in training to become a pediatrician. “How proud I was when I heard I had been accepted into pediatrician training. This field is so incredibly interesting. From babies to teenagers, with each age you have to be alert to different symptoms for each syndrome. Working with children is never boring. They are resilient and sincere, they say exactly what's on their mind. You also have to deal with the parents. It's a challenge every time to gain the trust of all parties, to listen well and to be creative when investigating. Sometimes the problem is acute. Often it's chronic and your job is to guide child and parents as best you can. You really build a bond with them, see those children grow up. All the more difficult when it doesn't end well. It is part of the job, but I will never get used to the death of a child. Talking about it with colleagues helps and I also write poetry now and then to get it off my chest.”

Amsterdam UMC goes for diverse and inclusive. Where do opportunities lie?

“Again, there is still a serious under-representation of physicians with a migration background, as well as persons who identify as LGBTQ+ or persons with physical disabilities. That under-representation of people with a migrant background can be attributed to unequal opportunities leading up to and during study, and the pathway thereafter, research by colleague Lianne Mulder shows. In addition, Suzanne Fikrat's research showed that master's students from non-Western backgrounds are structurally rated lower than their Western peers. That there is a leaky pipeline - dropout rates among students and doctors in training - is demonstrated by the fact that only 2 percent of medical specialists have a migrant background, compared to 20 percent of medical students and 50 percent of the Amsterdam patient population. Everyone deserves the same opportunities here. I think we can agree on that. Problem lies in those ingrained and unconscious prejudices. Everyone has unconscious prejudices. We are still often stuck in our own bubble and our choices are influenced by what we learned in that bubble. It influences, for example, how you look at a trainee with a migrant background and what job application questions you ask a woman with a headscarf. Realizing that is key, especially if you are in a key position. Ask yourself every time if you would have given that grade if it were a Western student. And that question about faith, would you have asked that white applicant? Once that realization is there, you can deal with it. Only then can things really change within an organization. In any case, I hope that I can inspire the new generation of students. If I can do it, so can they.”

A good example of inclusive collaboration within Amsterdam UMC?

“In 2023, with the diversity committee of the Emma Children's Hospital, I handed out hundreds of badge clips with an image of the progress flag on them. It became a huge success and all resulted in great conversations between colleagues but also with patients.We noticed that by wearing such a symbol you literally show that you stand for inclusiveness and the threshold to talk becomes lower. Isn't it great that this kind of relatively simple initiative can help? We naturally hope that other departments will also start wearing the clips and that it will then spread throughout Amsterdam UMC like an oil slick. The board of directors was already enthusiastic so let's go for it! I would be happy to tell you where and how you can have the badge clips made.”

Outside of work hours?

“As a child, my mother gave me an encyclopedia. I really devoured it, pounding all the facts into my head. I remember the strangest things and have since accumulated a lot of useful and less useful factual knowledge. That's good, because I'm a quiz fanatic. I've already participated in Met het Mes op Tafel and 2 voor 12. Wine is another hobby of mine that got out of hand. To drink it, of course, but also to learn about it. Still that factual knowledge thingy of mine. I already have my wine license and hope to one day call myself a sommelier. No, I never actually do anything halfway.”

Do you have any questions for Jason or would you like to know more about diversity & inclusion within Amsterdam UMC? Then email to

diversiteit@amsterdamumc.nl

Text: Sophie Verschoor