Interview with Andreas Koldehoff, Supervisor of EaT Göttingen, Germany
Göttingen /Giessen. It’s a Friday afternoon in the late summer of 2012. Andreas Koldehoff, a medical student studying at Göttingen University is kicking a football around with his friend Artur Derksen at his house party in Gießen. After I wrote to him by email, and suggested he establish an EAT group in Göttingen, he invited me over to discuss the idea in person. After four hours of intense discussion about study, life and EAT, Andi said to me “Okay Titus, I’ll do it. I’ll start a group in Göttingen.” Since that time, Andreas not only became the founder of the Göttingen EAT group, but also a good friend. Now he works as a doctor – at the end of 2013 he handed over his position as chair of the Göttingen EAT to Richard Mansky (24, photo below), who, making use of his contacts in Göttingen, is continuing to work on establishing the newly founded EAT group.
Richard, where does the Göttingen EAT stand now, in May of 2014?
“At the moment we’re going through quite a lot of changes, given that some of the long-standing student members, like our old friend Andreas Koldehoff, have finished their state examinations and graduated. Despite this, we still have around 15 active members and in the meantime, we’ve gotten more high schools involved in the program. Other than that, we’re also in cooperation with the Göttingen University Clinic’s Ambulant Tobacco Dehabituation Program, and with the help of PD Dr. Tobias Raupach, who is the current chair of program, we’re aiming to integrate the EAT project both as part of the cardiopulmonary teaching unit taught in the 3rd clinical semester of medicine, as well as as an elective subject. Our goal is it to get all secondary schools in Göttingen involved in the program.”
I’ve seen a lot of your surfing photos; you’re also a talented piano player, for which you’ve already been recognized with many prizes. On top of that you’re studying and completing your doctoral dissertation –why do you invest so much time in EAT?
“I’m a non-smoker myself and am passionate about EAT’s educational model against tobacco consumption. I believe, that as a medical student, it’s important that I set a good example to younger students. Being involved in the EAT project allows me to actively use this role for that purpose. Working with younger students is also a lot of fun and always full of surprises, and visiting schools with the EAT offers a nice change from the routine of clinical training at uni. The fact that Göttingen is a relatively small city with not an overly huge number of schools, also means that we always work in a very informal and personal atmosphere. Because the Göttingen EAT has already been around for two years, we’ve definitely formed a very considerate and friendly contact with the teachers of these schools.”
Richard Mansky (24) is in his 9th semester of Human Medicine at the University of Göttingen and an alumnus of the German National Merit Foundation.
