RSU Master’s Student of the Year 2022 Lauma Ieviņa Wants to Study Diseases and Help People

Lauma Ieviņa is a 2nd year student in the Biomedicine master’s programme at the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Faculty of Medicine, and a scientific assistant at the Institute of Microbiology and Virology.

The RSU Annual Awards were presented at the Academic Ball on 10 September 2022 at the Riga Latvian Society House. The award for Master’s Student of the Year was presented to Lauma Ieviņa (1st row, middle) by Vice-Rector for Studies Prof. Tatjana Koķe

Ieviņa graduated from the RSU Physiotherapy bachelor’s programme in 2020, but chose biomedicine for her master’s studies because she wanted to learn something completely different.

‘I've always been interested in biology, so biomedicine seemed like a very good idea. I am very happy with my choice now.’

Prof. Pēteris Tretjakovs, the Director of the Biomedicine programme, describes Ieviņa as an excellent student who is involved in research at the Institute of Microbiology and Virology and will soon have Scopus-level publications.

Ieviņa is working on her master’s thesis at the Institute of Microbiology and Virology: “Fibromyalgia-Specific Microbiome, Viral Infections, and Immunological Profile”.

‘We are looking for potential diagnostic markers to better diagnose fibromyalgia – a chronic disease characterised by widespread muscle and skeletal pain

accompanied by fatigue, problems with sleep and memory, mood changes, and other symptoms that reduce quality of life,’ the young scientist says explaining her research.

Lauma Ieviņa on her graduation day in 2020 with an RSU diploma testifying that she has obtained a Professional Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare and a qualification as a physiotherapist. Photo from private archive

About me. I like to think that everyone is the master of their own happiness. This thought helps me stay motivated when I find it hard to pull myself together. I am active, I love being outdoors, and I collect hobbies (there are so many that I am not going to list them). I am stubborn and I value my interests, but do not confuse that with selfishness.

Three most important accomplishments so far. The most important thing I have done so far is my career change. It was not easy. Having the courage not to listen to other people’s doubts and to start again is very scary, but totally worth it.

I think another important thing is that I am starting my higher education journey. My bachelor’s degree was worthwhile as this degree made me stronger and gives me the opportunity to continue with my studies.

It is difficult for me to choose a third achievement, because there are many equally valuable achievements that I would like to list. I will mention the fact that for a while my friends and I made our own start-up, where we organised active leisure and socialising activities. When the pandemic started, we created an orienteering game so that people could get out of their homes and explore cities in Latvia in a socially responsible way.

I found my internship during my bachelor’s studies in Physiotherapy at RSU very interesting. It was not easy emotionally, because I worked with patients who each had different injuries and/or illnesses – gunshot wounds, amputated limbs, consequences of strokes, etc. Being in contact with these patients made me appreciate being healthy and the fact that I’m able to help others. At the time, of course, I did not think it was something special because I did not enjoy it that much, but in retrospect I am grateful to have had the opportunity.

My family and the people closest to me are my teachers. I am fortunate that the people I care about are motivated, smart, and courageous. Seeing others fight for what is important to each of them keeps me going and stops me from stagnating. And it is good to know that I can turn to them in times of need and always get advice.

Values or cornerstones. I highly value trust, determination (or maybe more like stubbornness in my case), and a desire to explore the world. I try to keep an open mind to new ideas and ideologies, so I value that in other people. I try to keep a positive outlook. It is a challenge, but I see it as the most effective way to enjoy life.

What needs to be done to make the world a better place? We could come up with grand plans to make the world a better place, but I think we need to start with the simple things, like spending less time in front of screens and more time outdoors. In Latvia we have beautiful nature and lots of opportunities. People will then have less anxiety, better health, and better mood.

How do you see your place in the development of Latvia? I would like to contribute to the development of science in Latvia. Although I have changed my field from physiotherapy to biomedicine, my desire to help people is still there, so I want to start my own research group in the future to study diseases and find answers to patients’ unanswered questions.