Thursday, September 25, 2025
Students graduating from a master's or bachelor's programme this academic year can register until 23 November for an assignment from the Thesis Labs ‘Groene Zorg’ (Green Healthcare) and ‘Global Women's Health’ of Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities (LDE) and Medical Delta. The Thesis Labs offer students extra guidance, masterclasses and work visits, among other things.
The assignments for both labs have been submitted in recent months by partners in healthcare and other fields. This gives graduating students the opportunity to have a direct impact with their graduation projects and contribute to solving real-world problems.
In a five-month supervision program (February to July), participating students receive masterclasses, extra supervision and work visits, such as a visit to the operating theatres of the LUMC. Participants can share their conclusions and experiences with each other. At the same time, they work together on joint conclusions and recommendations.
The Thesis Lab ‘Groene Zorg’ (Green Healthcare) of LDE Center for Sustainability and Medical Delta is now in its fifth edition. This year, LDE and Medical Delta established a second joint thesis lab: ‘Global Women's Health’.
Lack of knowledge about women's healthcare has a major impact in low-income countries
The Thesis Lab Global Women's Health has opened up research questions that focus on women's health in all stages of life: from maternal and child care to adult and elderly care. In particular, it looks at healthcare outside Western countries. Traditionally, healthcare has been based on the male body, leading to a lack of knowledge about the female body. This not only has a major impact on women's quality of life, but also has a significant social impact, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
The Thesis Lab pays special attention to digitization, (technical) innovation and sustainability. The lab aims to effectively translate improvements in healthcare for women into healthcare in environments with limited resources.
View the brochure and specific research assignments here
Green healthcare: much has been achieved, but there is still much more to do
It is now a proven concept: using input from healthcare practice to tackle sustainability issues in order to make healthcare greener. The Green Healthcare Thesis Lab has proven its worth, as evidenced by the wide range of graduation assignments offered by a broad spectrum of healthcare organisations. Once again this year, graduates can sink their teeth into concrete and much-needed sustainability issues to make the highly polluting healthcare sector greener.
In recent years, more and more healthcare professionals have become aware of the sector's significant impact on the environment. Now that sustainable thinking has gained attention, it is time for the next step: action!
In recent years, a thriving community of sustainable healthcare professionals, students and researchers has been built up. In its fifth edition, Thesis Lab 2025-2026 will focus on topics such as:
- Reducing waste or consumption of medical devices or medicines;
- Reusing medical devices or medicines;
- Circular redesign of medical devices.
The themes and individual thesis assignments can be found here (in Dutch).
Sign up
If you are graduating this academic year, or if you know people who might be interested in participating in one of these thesis labs, click on the links below and sign up before 23 November:
Sign up for the Thesis Lab Global Women’s Health
Sign up for the Thesis Lab Groene Zorg
Read the report of the meeting on the results of the Thesis Lab Green Healthcare 2025 here.
