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Pascale Heins
Name:
Pascale Heins
Job title:
PhD candidate
Place of work / study:
Alzheimer Centrum Limburg, Maastricht University
Area of Research:
Technology and social participation in people with dementia living at home.
How is your work funded?
My research is funded by the Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) ‘DISTINCT’ (Dementia: Intersectorial Strategy for Training and Innovation Network for Current Technology), which is part of the Horizon 2020 funding programme.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am an occupational therapist who is living in Belgium. After I completed my Bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands, I worked as an occupational therapist in a long-term care facility in Belgium, aiming to enhance the independence and quality of life of residents living with dementia. To learn about new innovative ways to do this, I decided to follow the master’s programme ‘Health Assisting Engineering’ in Vienna (Austria). During this academic experience, I learned to develop healthcare innovations in interdisciplinary collaboration with other students from the technical and healthcare sector. Right now, I am doing my PhD at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. When I am not working, I enjoy drinking a cold Belgian beer with my friends.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I know Italian people will hate me for it, but I still cut spaghetti with a knife before eating them.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
I became interested in dementia while I was working as an occupational therapist in a long-term care facility in Belgium. Because I was so interested in finding new innovative ways to enhance independence and quality of life of people with dementia, I ended up doing my PhD at Maastricht University.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Be passionate about your work, but – at the same time – enjoy your free time (e.g. switch off e-mail notifications after working hours and on the weekends).
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
In the evening, I enjoy reading something that has nothing to do with my work. I just finished the German thriller ‘Auris’ by Vincent Kliesch. For all the German-speaking Thriller-fans out there: it’s definitely a recommendation!
Can we find you on Twitter & Instagram?
