For this edition of the alumni newsletter we spoke with an international alumnus. His name is Kadek Hendra Darmawan, he comes from Bali and graduated in October 2022 from the Master's degree of Health Economics, Policy & Law (HEPL).
Why did you choose to follow this Master's degree?
I did a bachelor's in Pharmacy at the Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and I wanted to do a Master abroad. I was looking for Masters in Europe and HEPL stood out. I was immediately caught by the name and the curriculum. I liked the idea that in this Master you look at healthcare from different perspectives.
How did your career take off after completing HEPL?
Four days before my graduation I received an acceptance letter to work at a project of the Ministry of Health in Jakarta. For three months I have done economic evaluations and benchmark studies of Genomics projects for the ministry. I also compared the Indonesian policy concerning precision medicine with the policy in other countries.
After this project, I took a two-month break to spend time with my family. Since March 2023, I have been working as a health economist at Novartis Indonesia (a pharmaceutical company based in Switzerland). I am doing economic evaluations of innovative medicines for cancer, skin diseases and rare diseases.
What did you like about HEPL?
In addition to all the knowledge I have accumulated, I really like the friends that I have made. Being an international student in the Netherlands was a dream that came true. I lived in Rotterdam with a Dutch family. That was an excellent way to learn about Dutch culture.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to go back to the Netherlands within the next two years. I love to work with people from different nationalities and backgrounds; I see the world as one global society.
So you like the Netherlands?
Yes! For example, I loved the 50-minute bike ride to campus from where I was living. I had to cross the Erasmus bridge or the Willemsbrug and some days it was really challenging because of the wind. I also like Dutch people. In the beginning I had to get used to how straightforward Dutch people are, but now I like it and I still have a lot of Dutch friends.
Do you have any other good memories to share?
Yes, I really liked the lectures of Maureen Rutten-van Mölken a lot. And one of the hightlights of my stay was the fact that I, a student from Bali, was chosen as a spokesperson for the HEPL students at the graduation ceremony. I was thousands of miles from home, but I survived! 😊
In conversation with... you?
Do you have fond memories of your time at SAG/iBMG/ESHPM that you’d like to share with your fellow alumni? If so, please contact us at alumni@eshpm.eur.nl.