A full day for PhD students focused on mental health

PHD STUDENTS. For the sixth time, PhD students at Sahlgrenska Academy were invited to PhD Day, organized by the Doctoral Student Council. The day provided practical tips and strategies to help PhD students promote their mental health during this demanding phase of their lives.

PhD Day brings together students from all institutes at Sahlgrenska Academy, offering them a chance to meet and socialize. The goal is to foster a sense of community and provide insightful seminars for aspiring researchers.

“This year, we’ve chosen to focus our discussions on the important topic of mental health. The PhD day is an opportunity to step out of the lab bubble, socialize with other PhD students, and realize that you are not alone,” said Sarah Al Hamoud Al Asswad, a member of the organizing committee for this year’s program.

Important engagement

The Doctoral Student Council (DoR) is a committee within the Sahlgrenska Academy Student Union (SAKS). Julián Bobis Camacho, Chair of DoR, welcomed everyone with a brief speech about the importance of PhD students being involved in the union, as it’s a chance to influence doctoral education and the university.

One of the attendees was Aylin Alkan Källgren, a PhD student at the Institute of Clinical Sciences, who is also affiliated to the Institute of Biomedicine through her co-supervisor. She is almost halfway through her project, which focuses on colorectal cancer:

“I have very good supervisors, and I don’t have to struggle as much as I think many other PhD students do. For instance, I don’t take work home to my family after work. It feels good to hear that this is the right approach,” she said.

Aylin believes PhD Day is a great way for PhD students to come together, to get out of the lab, and meet others in the same situation.

Venturing into new territory

Henrik Zetterberg, a professor of neurochemistry, gave an opening presentation. With his typically optimistic demeanor, he elicited much laughter in Wallenberg Hall.

He noted that research is fundamentally about exploring new ideas and going where no one else has gone before. This is always a bit daunting, especially for PhD students:

“If you come up with a new finding and get criticized for it, remember that this is a sign that you are onto something significant! If you receive angry comments in a review process, you know you’ve discovered something truly exciting!”

Sometimes, supervisors can be blinded by the pursuit of results, forgetting that the PhD student is a person with needs for private life and recovery. If you feel that your supervisor is only interested in your research results, remember that you still mean a lot to them, Henrik Zetterberg emphasized. The supervisor might never win the Nobel Prize, but they can show how many PhD students they’ve had and the successes these students have later achieved.

Many good tips

He offered many good tips for PhD students, both his own and wise thoughts from others about how to maintain your wellbeing during the doctoral journey and still achieve success. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the PhD project consists of a mix of high-flying, elusive ideas that could break new ground in the field, and low-hanging fruits that are easy to pick.

Another key point was the importance of disseminating both positive and negative results.

“It’s important to design studies so that it’s possible to publish whether the hypothesis can be proven or not. This also reduces the stress over the results you get. Personally, I love articles that report negative results, as they often mean a lot to the field,” said Henrik Zetterberg.

Moreover, he believed that PhD students should focus on what they really need to do and avoid courses and other tasks that aren’t necessary.

A packed day

Throughout the day, psychologist Luisa Klahn presented practical tools for PhD students on how to maintain their mental health. Angela Molinaro, now a consultant at Randstad, generously shared her own experiences with depression and anxiety during her time as a PhD student. Karolina Komorowska talked about her journey from PhD student to employed researcher at the global company STEMCELL Technologies. Alexandra Abrahamsson introduced the SA-CONE Coach Network, a network of PhD graduates trained in a coaching approach that can provide support and be a sounding board for other researchers on career-related issues. Peter Friberg presented research on mental health, stress, and resilience among young people, and Birgitta Johansson gave a presentation on brain fatigue. The day concluded with a panel discussion.

BY: ELIN LINDSTRÖM