ZonMw Pearl and CaRe dissertation prize for Jochen Cals
In just a short period of time, Jochen Cals’s research has been awarded two different prizes. On 28 May, the CAPHRI researcher and GP trainee received the coveted ‘Pearl’ of the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) during the conference of the Dutch National Association for GP Trainees (LOVAH). One week later, during the CaRe Day of the Netherlands School of Primary Care Research, he was awarded the CaRe dissertation prize.
The ZonMw Pearl is presented several times a year to projects that can serve as an example to other researchers. Earlier this year, Caphri's IMPALA project had already received a Pearl. “It’s a huge honour”, says Cals. “It’s particularly nice that the prize was awarded on the basis of the Agiko scholarship, because the combination of practice and research is the best, but also the most challenging.”
Cals received the prize for his research on discouraging the unnecessary use of antibiotics in GP practices. In this study, for which he obtained his PhD cum laude in 2009, he focused on patients with acute coughing complaints that indicate an infection of the lower airways. Antibiotics are often prescribed for these patients, but this is unnecessary in many cases. Cals showed that the combination of a finger-prick test to rule out serious infections and a communication course for GPs leads to a reduction in antibiotics use among these patients. The research, which brought him a great deal of international recognition, was financed through the ZonMw’s Health Care Efficiency Research (DoelmatigheidsOnderzoek) programme and Agiko scholarship.
One week after receiving the ZonMw Pearl, Cals was also awarded the CaRe dissertation prize: his PhD was judged the best dissertation from those produced by the participating research institutes/schools from Amsterdam (EMGO), Nijmegen, NIVEL and Caphri in 2009. “Most of all, I see the dissertation prize as a nice recognition from the research institutes. It was also great that Liesbeth van Osch from CAPHRI was nominated as well. Caphri is obviously doing well, because last year Loes van Bokhoven – also from CAPHRI – won the dissertation prize.”