Emma

For me, the brain has always been the most intriguing part of the human body. The different theories, not knowing exactly what happens on a physiological level, and the huge number of external factors that influence its function. This gives the brain some sort of mystery.

I am a Dutch master student

My name is Emma de Ruiter and I am a Dutch master student. I ended up in Wellington writing my master thesis. I study pharmacy at the Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Now, you might think: what is a Dutch pharmacy student doing in a psychology lab on the other side of the world? I’ll explain. For me, the brain has always been the most intriguing part of the human body. The different theories, not knowing exactly what happens on physiological level, and the huge number of external factors that influence its function. This gives the brain some sort of mystery.

Also, current medication to treat for example depression are not very pleasant to use and have a lot of side effects. This made me, as a future pharmacist, motivated to write my master thesis in this discipline. During my bachelor thesis, I had the chance to investigate the effect of MDMA on patients with treatment-resistant PTSD (just a literature study though). To try to continue this path, I ended up here in Wellington.

Other then my internship here, New-Zealand has so much to offer! I am amazed by the beautiful nature and all the kind people. I like to spend my free time outside, either rowing, tramping, sailing or surfing.

I am a Dutch master student