Why are you involved in the NUM?

The basic idea both convinces and frightens me at the same time. What convinces me is that we are trying to combine forces and ideas, because this is the only way we can really make a difference. What is frightening is that this approach is relatively unusual and requires a lot of energy and perseverance to bring the idea to life. I am involved because I am convinced that I can make a small contribution to building this NUM mosaic - also because in my field we almost always think and act in an interprofessional and interdisciplinary way.

What challenges do you have to overcome in your project?

I am involved in several projects: in my coordinating role, I see great opportunities as well as the great challenge of maintaining the motivation and expertise of all colleagues, especially young colleagues, with sometimes very short contract periods. In principle, decision-making processes are also very slow within the projects - especially as we want to be very participative and integrative. To this end, we can and want to test innovative models and provide scientific support.

Is there a word that plays a special role in your everyday work?

*grin* yes - hygiene - communication - risk - team. *Hygiene* with a great deal of uncertainty as to what it really is and what only jumps on this bandwagon in the context of advertising messages and sales strategies. This is precisely why really good *communication* plays a key role in actually implementing strategies and concepts, so that theory finds its way into practice and real life. We always make decisions in complex systems, i.e. under uncertainty, and consequently always carry out a - often repeated - *risk* assessment in order to make the best possible, well-balanced decision. A good and fair *team*, in which each individual can rely on the others, plays a key role in all of the above.

What was your career aspiration as a child and why?

Researching medicine: firstly because I wanted to know what was in my doll's stomach (I was very disappointed); then because I had too many questions that I couldn't answer well (I still don't) and finally because I always wanted to create something, but knew that I'm not an artist - so I can only ever contribute a small piece of the mosaic.