MoNuMind Symposium – 11 November 2025
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Last Tuesday, the kick-off of the UMCG MoNuMind network took place with a Symposium at the UMCG. Approximately 100 researchers and practitioners from various departments came together for an inspiring day dedicated to lifestyle and prevention research in healthcare to connect and build a community.

Prof. Dr. Jochen Mierau, Vice-Dean of Research at the UMCG, opened the day with a keynote lecture titled “More Healthy Years for Everyone: The Role of Prevention.” His talk set the tone for the central themes of MoNuMind: Movement, Nutrition, and Mental Health.

The three MoNuMind theme teams presented their ongoing activities and plans:

  • Movement – Erja Portegijs, Nienke de Vries, and Rowie Terpstra-Janssen shared initiatives developed in collaboration with UMCG clinical departments, focusing on promoting movement during hospital stays, fall prevention, and the development of two new Master programs.
  • Nutrition – Marjo Campmans-Kuijpers, Eva Corpelijn, and Henriëtte van Duijne presented ongoing collaborations with several UMCG departments, highlighting the importance of aligning nutrition research.
  • Mind – Frederike Jörg, Nessa Millet, and Kaying Li-Kan discussed various mental health research projects and emphasized the importance of translating existing knowledge into practice to create impact within and outside the UMCG.

Although these domains were presented separately, they are closely connected and joint efforts are an important target for the future — both within and beyond the hospital. By joining forces, researchers can do more interdisciplinary work, strengthen the evidence base, and accelerate progress towards healthier lifestyles for UMCG patients, hospital staff, and the inhabitants of our region. The symposium sparked new ideas and concrete plans for collaboration across these lifestyle domains within the UMCG.

Following lunch, a lively session of short research pitches showcased 10 prevention and lifestyle-related projects at the UMCG — ranging from clinical exercise testing and nutritional data integration to lifestyle implementation projects and kidney transplantation research.

The MoNuMind Symposium marked an inspiring start to a growing movement within the UMCG community. The MoNuMind team looks forward to further collaboration on how movement, nutrition, and mental health can together contribute to More Healthy Years for Everyone.