Appendices ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completing this PhD in the Netherlands has been an incredible journey filled with triumphs dotted with frustrations and joy. I am immensely grateful to everyone who played a part in making this dream a reality. First and foremost, my heartfelt gratitude to prof. dr. Folkert W Asselbergs. Dear Folkert, thank you for giving me this precious PhD opportunity. Your patience, incredible perception and wise words, have been instrumental in shaping my research, academic and personal growth. I am especially grateful for your trust in me to find my direction, while aware that your support will be there when seeked. Thank you for your generosity and opportunities that you sent in my way. Despite the fair share of disagreements, your enthusiasm and optimism are inspirational; they have changed the way I see the world. Prof. dr. Diederick E Grobbee, dear Rick, I am grateful to have you as my promotor. You taught me the skills to be an independent researcher, and to do it with confidence and grace. Thank you, for your insightful revisions to my written work and providing valuable feedback whenever I am faced with challenges in the projects. Dr. Ilonca Vaartjes, dear Ilonca, I cannot thank you enough. Your enthusiasm and kindness are noticeable even before I began this PhD, at your first Epidemiology training to fellow researchers in Malaysia. Adapting to new environments for both work and personal life can be difficult. Being the considerate and caring supervisor that you are, you ensured that I had support and friendship in my roommates at room 6.119 the moment I arrived at the Julius Center. Thank you for instilling courage in me, always checking that I take vacation days, for organizing fun-filled outings to Friesland and graffiti painting on street walls and probably something few would do, loan your ski wear when I went to visit Icelandic glaciers. I will always remember how you encouraged me during failures at work and reminded me that setbacks are just a part of research. Dr. Stefan Koudstaal, dear Stefan, thank you for consistently working closely as my supervisor. You have taught me how to communicate and work well with our collaborators, improved my written language and importantly, gave encouragement when meetings did not go as well as I hoped. I truly value your patience in helping me understand clinical practice for heart failure in the local setting.
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