Sofie Paludanus is a PhD candidate at the MGGZ Expertise Center and the Force Health Protection Cluster of the Coordination Center of Expertise for Occupational Health and Safety of the Ministry of Defense. She earned her master's degree in Clinical Neuropsychology from Leiden University in 2023. During her master's program, she gained clinical experience in diagnostics and conducting neuropsychological research at the Hague Medical Center, acquiring knowledge about brain disorders and neurodegenerative disease. After her research internship, she worked for a year as a research assistant in a cognitive and fMRI imaging study on the reward system in patients with bipolar or psychotic disorders at Erasmus Medical Center. Sofie is interested in a holistic approach to brain health and aims to connect research and practice.
In May 2024, Sofie began a PhD program in collaboration with UMC Utrecht, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Elbert Geuze, Dr. Iris Dijksma, and Dr. Amber van der Heijden. Sofie will focus on the course of neurocognitive health in veterans after deployment, for instance, when veterans have sustained mild traumatic brain injuries during deployment.