All good things come in threes. And it was precisely according to this principle that the first cohort of the DFG Research Training Group POKAL ("Predictors and Clinical Outcomes of Depressive Illnesses in General Practitioner Care") GRK 2621 gathered for their third retreat, this time in the picturesque setting of Herrsching am Ammersee. Over a period of two and a half days, the focus was on the initial results of a total of 10 exciting projects that are researching a wide variety of topics relating to the diagnosis and treatment of depression as well as tools for implementation in GP practices.

During intensive discussions about the current project results, there was also room to further develop planned follow-up projects for the second cohort. A particular highlight of the retreat was the valuable input from Dr. Karolina de Valerio, who accompanied the entire event and, in her role as a patient advisory board member, placed a strong focus on the patient perspective of the research work.

The evenings were characterized by team-building activities and a sociable get-together, so that the first cohort of the POKAL-Kolleg can now start the final year full of motivation, which will conclude on September 30, 2024 with the submission of the doctorates.