Frits Rosendaal… A doctor, a researcher, a fan of football and history… And just a happy man… Frits Rosendaal is a Professor at Leiden University and former President of International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis. Ever since, he has been appointed jointly at the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and the Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis. He became Professor of Clinical Epidemiology in 1997, with a chair that was aptly named “Clinical Epidemiology of Thrombosis and Hemostasis”. Since 1999, he is head of the department of Clinical Epidemiology, and since 2007 also of the Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis.
Frits Rosendaal is author of nearly 500 papers in international journals. He is recipient of the Spinoza Award (2003) the highest scientific prize in the Netherlands. He is European coordinator of the Leducq International Network Against Thrombosis and has Affiliate Professorships at the University of Washington in Seattle, and the University of Vermont in Burlington. He is Chairman of the Netherlands Society for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (NVTH), and Chairman of the Council of the International Society on Thrommbosis and Hemostasis (ISTH). He is member of the national Health Council (Gezondheidsraad) and member of the Royal Netherlands Society of Arts and Sciences (Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen).
The prominent doctor and researcher visited Armenia in the frameworks of the ISTH Educational Course “All You Should Know About Thrombosis” organized at Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi.
– Professor, why did you choose to become a doctor?
– Because I didn’t know what to choose. I wanted to become a journalist. My mother said: “Well, because your father was a doctor, maybe it’s better to learn that profession”. Then I thought: “Why not to become a doctor?”. The first years of medical school were very boring. But later it got very interesting. So, I kept going with medicine. But in a way I became a researcher, I’m not treating patients any more. Now I am doing research, and I am writing articles. So, in a way I did become a journalist about science.
– Could you mention any strength or weakness of doctor’s profession?
– The strength is that being a student you have so many choices. You can become a surgeon or orthopedist or researcher or radiologist. I don’t know any negative side about being a doctor. It’s fantastic. I don’t see any negative aspects in this profession.
– How did you gain patients’ trust when working as a doctor?
Well, I think, by being capable, knowing what you are doing and being open. I think that is the necessary combination. Although there are a lot of people who gain a lot of trust without deserving it, but, I think, the reality is that most people trust doctors anyway. Doctors are still trusted a lot.
– What kind of global problems do you see in your sphere of activities – thrombosis and hemostasis?
– One global problem which is present for everything is enormous divide between rich and poor. And many treatments have become more expensive. So, if you are a poor country (which is even in Europe, still former Eastern Europe), you cannot pay, for instance, for the drugs for hemophilia disease. I am not talking even about Africa and Arabic countries. Drugs are becoming more and more expensive because of the behavior of pharmaceutical companies which want to get as much money as they can. That’s why many people can’t get treatment because it is crazy expensive.
– Mr. Rosendaal, pregnant women are in a risk group for getting venous thrombosis. What should they do to avoid this disease?
– That’s true: among women the pregnancy is, maybe, the most important risk factor. On the other hand, it’s also true that among young women thrombosis is very rare. It’s only 1 in 1000 pregnancies that gets thrombosis. Young people don’t get sick. But people should be aware to recognize it when the disease happens.
– There are a lot of challenges, both medical and personal, for a physician. What is your main advice to future Armenian doctors?
– In general, I would say, become a good doctor! Use the area that you like! And be happy!
– Are there any special principles that should lead to a successful career in medicine?
– In every field, if you want to be successful, you need to work hard. I always wanted to become a ballet dancer, but, I think, hard work wouldn’t work. If you want to be a surgeon, but you are very clumsy, like I am, you cannot be a surgeon (he smiles – author). You need a combination of talent and work. It’s the same in sport. Without a talent you will never be fantastic. Also, a very important lesson in life is to accept what you can’t do. People always talk about recognizing talents but, of course, it is important to recognize fields in which you are not talented. So, that would be an advice.
– How do you manage to relax?
– I watch Netflix. And I read a lot, mainly history. Actually, I am reading a book about the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Of course, Armenia played a role in this period. I know the history of Armenia a little bit. That is very interesting. I read also books about famous people, about their lives.
– What did you know about Armenia and Armenian people before visiting our country?
– I knew about Armenian Genocide, of course. I’ve been in Iran, and there is a big Armenian population. There is a beautiful church in Isfahan. It’s fantastic. And there is also a museum dedicated to the victims of the Genocide.
I also like chess a lot. So, I know Tigran Petrosyan and Levon Aronyan.
Author: Tatevik Ghazaryan
Photo: by Karen Serobyan