Strategic collaboration UMCG and Universidad de Chile

The Graduate School of Medical Sciences is proud to have hosted a delegation from the medical faculty of Universidad de Chile (UCH) in September. The delegation consisted of Dr Miguel O’Ryan – Director International, Associate Director Margarity Ahumada, and Dr Marcela Hermoso, who has a longstanding academic collaboration with the UMCG.

The main purpose of the visit has been to advance the development of a Joint Doctoral Degree (JD) in biomedical sciences. Moreover, the delegation met with different researchers and other interested parties at UMCG in areas such as nephrology, cardiology, infectious diseases, oncology, and biobanking.

University of Groningen Rector Elmer Sterken is fully supportive of the UMCG strategy to engage in a multi-dimensional and sustainable cooperation scheme with a selected number of international strategic partners, among which UCH. Cooperation with these partners ranges from student exchange and talent scouting to the development of joint programs. Rector Sterken himself visited UCH in July and signed three different agreements in support of his vision (in Spanish).

This commitment to the advancement of excellent research is mutual and may even count towards the support of the Chilean Embassy to the Netherlands. A group of Chilean PhD students at UMCG has been awarded a grant to organize a seminar on Cellular Metabolism in Disease sponsored by the Chilean embassy in the Netherlands. The event takes place on 20 December 2017. UCH professor Dr César Cárdenas is key note lecturer at the event.

The UCH Faculty of Medicine report of the visit is available here in Spanish.