Student Blog Post

About a year ago, I realized it was the right moment for me to grow professionally by pursuing further specialization in the field of digital health. My undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, combined with nearly a year of industry experience as a software engineer at a digital health company, shaped this direction. Motivated by a strong interest in health informatics and AI applications in healthcare, I initiated a search for a Master’s that would satisfy my learning objectives.

While reviewing several programs, ManagiDiTH sparked my interest due to its interdisciplinary and innovative curriculum design. The courses approach the digitalization of healthcare from a holistic point of view, addressing state-of-the-art technologies, core concepts and key interventions by combining elements from the social, digital, and health sciences. The online and international nature of the program, offered jointly by ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon (Portugal), Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), was also instrumental in my decision to apply. As someone who has always valued moving beyond the familiar and pursuing growth through change, I saw this program as an interesting opportunity to navigate novel, cross-border professional paths while continuing to fulfill my work obligations.

Although I was already familiar to some extent with concepts and aspects of digital health transformation, the program equipped me with additional knowledge, including international health policies, legislations and methodologies for developing customer-oriented, co-creative and value-driven digital services. However, perhaps the most important takeaway was the invaluable real-world insights shared by healthcare professionals and other primary stakeholders. Understanding end-user challenges and needs, analyzing existing system limitations and identifying desired features are crucial for creating solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into clinical workflows. Because at the end of the day, a product fulfills its purpose through adoption. Design and development mean little without engagement.

In my opinion, one of the distinctive advantages of ManagiDiTH is its international, interdisciplinary and diverse academic environment. This ecosystem allows for learning about digital health interventions across countries with varying levels of digital maturity. Meanwhile, the rich variation in student backgrounds enhances the learning experience through different perspectives offered by a wide range of stakeholders, each playing a critical role in shaping the digital transformation of healthcare. The heterogeneity of experience levels among students further enriches the learning dynamic. Senior professionals offer meaningful contributions drawn from their career paths. At the same time, younger students have the chance to learn from more experienced ones and build relationships with other early-career professionals, grounded in common goals and shared challenges.

One memorable chapter of the ManagiDiTH student journey was the summer school held this May in Lisbon, an experience that far exceeded my expectations. This opportunity allowed us to meet the professors, faculty members, and fellow students in person, with whom we had been interacting and collaborating virtually throughout the year. There, we attended lectures by distinguished professionals from industry and academia, and we worked in groups on service design challenges proposed by enterprises. I am particularly grateful for this opportunity as I got to meet people from different countries and distinct backgrounds, engage in fruitful discussions and share many fun moments that will stay with me for a long time – and, of course, to enjoy the colourful city of Lisbon, with its delicious cuisine, traditional music, and lively streets.

We all have our unique goals – professional and personal aspirations we want to pursue in life. As for me, ManagiDiTH has supported both in a truly impactful way!