This is Elis Haan, PhD student at the University of Bristol, in the school of Experimental Psychology. My first supervisor is Prof. Marcus Munafo and my second supervisor Dr Hannah Sallis. I’m a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist by training and obtained a Master’s degree at the University of Tartu in Estonia. I have 8 years’ experience working with children and families in outpatient and inpatient clinical settings at the children’s hospital in Estonia.

Before coming to Bristol, I was working 4.5 years at the Ministry of Social Affairs where I was leading a nation-wide programme which aimed at improving children’s mental health services and health behaviour among the wider population in Estonia.
Doing a PhD has been in my mind for a couple of years already, and when I saw information about the CAPICE project I got very excited and decided to apply for the position at the University of Bristol. Luckily, I got the great opportunity to come to Bristol and learn in one of the best academic environments I could imagine.
I moved to Bristol in the mid of September last year and got a very warm welcome from all the staff and other PhD students. Even though sorting out all bureaucracy was sometimes stressful, I got a lot of support and now I feel settled and can focus on the things I came here for. My PhD is about exploring alcohol, tobacco and caffeine consumption in pregnancy and offspring mental health outcomes (focusing mainly on ADHD) from childhood into adolescents’ years.
I’m also very happy that University of Bristol has two PhD positions under the CAPICE project and I can share this experience together with Laura.
I find the CAPICE project very interesting as it provides many good training opportunities within the 3-year project. Our first training was in London at the King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. This 3-day workshop was intensive but gave me a better understanding of genetics and gene environment interaction. It was also nice to meet all the other PhD students who are involved with the CAPICE project.

Me (on the left) and Laura (right) after a CAPICE workshop in London