Appendix A 327 I am also indebted to the many colleagues at the AMC who were such a valuable part of the VIS study and also helped me personally by answering my questions during what was a busy time for everyone involved: Karlijn, Pythia, Marit, Agnes, Joost, and Colin. Neeltje, you even came to personally collect blood samples during our vaccination substudy, and also gave me the opportunity to give my first lecture on the epidemiology of COVID-19. One of the most valuable parts of my PhD was combining research with working as a public health doctor. We were working during a time in which new uncertainties constantly emerged, which helped generate new research questions (such as the impact of vaccination on long COVID, in Chapter 8). I would therefore like to specifically thank several individuals who helped me view the potential impact of my PhD research in new ways. Firstly, Cecile, Anja and Lydia, you supported my ambitions to combine my academic aspirations with the public health training from the very beginning. You always looked for practical solutions, whilst also making sure my plans did not become unrealistic. Izzy, spending time on dushi Curaçao was one of the highlights of the past three years. You helped me see first-hand how intertwined the social and political determinants of health are with the impact of infectious diseases. I also learned a lot from you about the complexity of public health on a small island developing state. At the same time, you always encouraged me to see the funny or positive side of every situation. Madjid, Ivo, and my other wonderful colleagues at the GGD Flevoland, I thoroughly enjoyed working with you and you really helped me to develop my knowledge and skills as a public health doctor. Outside of the workplace, I feel extremely lucky to have the best support team. To my wonderful friends, Elli, Sarah, Giulia, Natalie, Tally, Hannah, Cheryl, Kathryn, Lara, Abigale, Rachel, and Rachael – you have been there throughout so many different moments in my career journey: from budding marine biologist at school, to medical student in London, to junior doctor, Masters student at Oxford and infectious disease control registrar. Thank you for always helping me to take a deep breath and relax a little whenever I felt overwhelmed or was missing you. Sanjna and Ale, so many of my happiest memories in Amsterdam include spending time with both of you. I cannot wait for all of our future travels together – and to launch our podcast about the overlap between surveillance of biological pathogens and digital viruses. To my family, Mum, Dad, Maarten and Wouter – you have supported me in so many ways throughout my life and we have travelled the world together. A huge part of the
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