Our Team
The PREhealth team is filled to the brim with enthusiastic, motivated, and patient-oriented students, experts, and volunteers. Read about our story and see some of our faces below!
Our Story
The students involved in PREhealth are all in health-related programmes, including biomedical sciences, midwifery, and medicine. They started working as a team from the start of the 2020 edition of the Maastricht University Honours programme at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, under the supervision of associate professor Dr. Masoud Zamani Esteki, who heads the Laboratory of Cellular Genomic Medicine. Together, they embarked on a journey to improve accessibility to women's and pregnant people's health resources, especially focusing on patient groups that are often overlooked.
Moreover, we're looking to recruit enthusiastic volunteers to help support our work. If you're interested to learn more about this, please don't hesitate to shoot us a message.
We aim to become a legal foundation in the near future, to ensure sustainable engagement.
This team will soon be joined by experts in health, such as physicians in reproductive care. This way, we combine the fresh new insights of tomorrow's healthcare and research professionals with the established expertise of today's professionals.
One of our team members presented this project to an audience of experts in the field at the 2022 edition of the Next-Generation Reproductive Medicine workshop (Maastricht, NL). Watch the recording here!
Meet The Team
Translators
German
Sophie Oppelt
Selina Voẞen (alumnus)
Urdu
Alizeh Ahsan
Turkish
Yasemin Kaya
Sena Nur Arduc
Dutch
Juliëtte Gossens
Dr. Masoud Zamani Esteki
Associate Professor & Project Supervisor
Masoud’s research lies at the intersection of classical genetics, molecular and developmental genetics, clinical genetics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence. During the course of his (post)doctoral research, he invented methods to study genome instability in early human development with applications in the clinic, such as preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Specifically, he has been developing, applying and translating integrative wet- and dry-lab approaches that uncover the genome’s allelic architecture in samples derived from many cells down to a single cell. Some of these technologies are now being used as routine diagnostic genetic tests. See Masoud's hope and vision for the field here.
Masoud leads the Cellular Genomic Medicine (CGM) group. CGM has several lines of active research centered around progressive innovation in Reproductive Medicine, e.g. development and application of novel methods for characterizing different molecular layers, their interplay and connectivity, and their impact on cellular identity and function, in particular at early stages of life. CGM constantly explores new avenues towards translating their research into the clinic.
Hi everyone! My name is Ann-Sophie Oppelt and currently I am a Biomedical Student at Maastricht University.
I love to travel and explore new cultures and their traditions. Also I have been living in different countries like Germany, Austria, Australia and now the Netherlands, which shaped me into a openminded and curious person.
For the future I hope to work in research and prove to have an impact on health care around the world in some way. I am excited to see where my path will lead me and what it still holds for me!
Ann-Sophie Oppelt
Writer (coordinator) & Translator
Hi! I'm Juliëtte and I study Medicine at Maastricht University.
I love learning new things in any field and I am a curious person. I like spending my time in many different ways, but some of my favourites are taking walks or hikes in nature and reading.
In the future, I hope to earn degrees in several fields to obtain a multidisciplinary background, and then combine that knowledge to make a difference on a global level.
Juliëtte Gossens
Web Design, Translator & Editor
Hi! I’m Miriam and I’m currently in my 3rd year of bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences. I’m originally from Italy but I’ve been living in the Netherlands for almost 3 years now (with a little 6 months break in Northern Norway). I’ve always been curious and inquisitive about things, especially when it comes to new frontiers both in science and outside of science; for this reason, during my studies I’ve started focusing on data science and bioinformatics, hoping, one day, to pursue a career in this field.
Miriam Babukhian
Translator & Programmer
Hello everyone! My name is Alizeh Ahsan and I am a student of Biomedical Sciences at Maastricht University. I have travelled all my life and explored a variety of places and cultures which expanded my horizons and opened up my perception about the world. I realized that to make the world a better place, we need to work together and educate ourselves and the people around us, so we can all together contribute to society. University helped me form my main goal in life which is precisely making the world a better place, simply, with the power of knowledge. By that I mean, the field of medicine and healthcare have a long way to go and I am excited to work really hard to contribute to their advancement.
Alizeh Ahsan
Writer, Translator & Video Creator (coordinator)
My name is Yasemin, currently studying Biomedical Sciences and Medicine at the University of Maastricht. I am fascinated by the human body and it really amazes me how new life can develop from just two small cells! In my spare time, I love to read and explore new foods from different cultures.
In the future I would love to do research that contributes in scientific, cultural and social terms to make a difference.
Yasemin Kaya
Writer & Translator
Hi everyone! My name is Lea Dörner, and I graduated from Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences. In the future, I aim to pursue a career in academic research and will begin my master's degree in 2023.
Besides my fascination for science, I enjoy being in nature, participating in sports, and meeting new people!
Due to my area of expertise, I naturally believe it is essential to be aware of your body and health, which is why I am delighted to be part of the PREhealth team!
Lea Dörner
Writer
Hi everyone! My name is Caro and I recently graduated from Maastricht University with a Bachelor`s degree in Biomedical Sciences. This year I plan to continue with the masters program molecular medicine in Innsbruck, located in the beautiful Austrian alps. I am determined to pursue a career in research, as I think science is crucial to improve our world and make it a better place for everyone.
When I am not studying I love to travel the world, surf, snowboard and make new friends. I am happy to be part of the PREhealth team and looking forward to all upcoming projects!
Carolin Becker
Writer
