PhD in Another Relevant Discipline

The Department of Development and Regeneration conducts multidisciplinary fundamental, translational, and clinical research within the field of developmental and regenerative medicine, with a strong focus on bench-to-bedside and implementation-oriented research. Within the Women & Child research cluster, the emphasis lies on the health of women and children, with particular attention to prevention and innovation in perinatal care./nThe REALIFE research group (REproduction And LIFEstyle for healthier families) is an interdisciplinary team focusing on lifestyle research and the implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve the health of (future) families. REALIFE investigates how physical and psychosocial lifestyle factors before, during, and after pregnancy are associated with maternal and child outcomes. The group develops and evaluates innovative (digital) lifestyle interventions aimed at sustainable behavior change and the prevention of chronic mental and physical conditions. Implementation in clinical practice and collaboration with non-academic partners are central to its mission./nProf. Dr. Annick Bogaerts is Associate Professor of Midwifery Sciences and Principal Investigator of the REALIFE research group. Her teaching and research focus on perinatal epidemiology related to maternal and childhood obesity, as well as on the development and evaluation of app-supported lifestyle interventions within randomized controlled trials with longitudinal follow-up.