NL
DE
20 February 2020
Where do you live and with whom?
Currently I am living in the vibrant ‘Wolfskuil’ in Nijmegen. One year ago, my husband and I moved out of Amsterdam with our son (2) and we had a daughter (0) whilst living here in Nijmegen.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your child years?
Since I knew I had talent for the game dr. Bibber I decided to become a doctor. There was just a moment of madness when I was 7 years old that I considered to become an actress.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I did my study medicine and (the largest part of) my Internal Medicine specialization at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. I always had great interest in Infectious Diseases and spent some time abroad to further fuel this; clinical traineeships in South-Africa and Surinam and Indonesia for a scientific research traineeship (compliance in patients with tuberculosis).
Of which of your research discoveries, you are most proud of?
I am still in the middle of finding my discoveries, but I am very proud that we have arranged (and are currently conducting) a large international randomized clinical trial. This helps in the ability to perform a high qualitative research in the home parenteral nutrition population, since most of these patients have a rare condition (making it difficult to conduct large studies).
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
To finalize my PhD with a significant impact on healthcare ;). In all honesty, the challenge will probably be lying in aligning the approach, quality and outcomes of four different hospital sites for my largest research. And obviously combining the aim for breakthrough research results with a healthy family life!
If you could choose any mentor, who would this be?
My current mentor: Geert Wanten. He really stimulates using my own creativity and facilitates doing research with common sense. He helps me overcoming ‘major’ obstacles by a strong sense of putting things in perspective. Plus, I wouldn’t want to miss his sense of (dark) humor.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
Patients, since besides doing clinical research with mostly clinical trials I love to perform my clinical duties as a doctor.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
The rules to perform research should be made more researcher-friendly, more uniform with less administrative handlings. Once you start a research in one center and want to expand your work to other centers, you sometimes end up in an interminable bureaucratic labyrinth.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
At the moment only my youngest daughter is allowed to wake me up for her midnight (milk) snack.
What is the thing that irritates you most?
I do not really have something that really irritates me as I think that with my experience of performing research I have learned to be patient and have found a way to handle bumps and obstacles on the way.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
A Staphylococcus aureus, since this bacterium is my favorite and I would really like to have a little chat with him to explore more research possibilities.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
Having my ‘mommy’ Tuesday with both my kids and take them to the Burgers Zoo…looking at the easy way of living that animals have.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
I still feel a junior scientist myself, though for junior scientists that just started I would say: feel free and create your own research, since every idea is a new possibility to discover.
Please make a selection:
o Crisper-Cas9 or AI: AI
o Pipette or Biostatistics: Biostatistics
o RT-PCR or Proteomics: RT-PCR
o Big data or Clinical trial: Clinical trial
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
Hiking with the kids and close friends whenever we have the chance (a.k.a. no clinical shifts).
Where do you live and with whom?
Currently I am living in the vibrant ‘Wolfskuil’ in Nijmegen. One year ago, my husband and I moved out of Amsterdam with our son (2) and we had a daughter (0) whilst living here in Nijmegen.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your child years?
Since I knew I had talent for the game dr. Bibber I decided to become a doctor. There was just a moment of madness when I was 7 years old that I considered to become an actress.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I did my study medicine and (the largest part of) my Internal Medicine specialization at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. I always had great interest in Infectious Diseases and spent some time abroad to further fuel this; clinical traineeships in South-Africa and Surinam and Indonesia for a scientific research traineeship (compliance in patients with tuberculosis).
Of which of your research discoveries, you are most proud of?
I am still in the middle of finding my discoveries, but I am very proud that we have arranged (and are currently conducting) a large international randomized clinical trial. This helps in the ability to perform a high qualitative research in the home parenteral nutrition population, since most of these patients have a rare condition (making it difficult to conduct large studies).
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
To finalize my PhD with a significant impact on healthcare ;). In all honesty, the challenge will probably be lying in aligning the approach, quality and outcomes of four different hospital sites for my largest research. And obviously combining the aim for breakthrough research results with a healthy family life!
If you could choose any mentor, who would this be?
My current mentor: Geert Wanten. He really stimulates using my own creativity and facilitates doing research with common sense. He helps me overcoming ‘major’ obstacles by a strong sense of putting things in perspective. Plus, I wouldn’t want to miss his sense of (dark) humor.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
Patients, since besides doing clinical research with mostly clinical trials I love to perform my clinical duties as a doctor.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
The rules to perform research should be made more researcher-friendly, more uniform with less administrative handlings. Once you start a research in one center and want to expand your work to other centers, you sometimes end up in an interminable bureaucratic labyrinth.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
At the moment only my youngest daughter is allowed to wake me up for her midnight (milk) snack.
What is the thing that irritates you most?
I do not really have something that really irritates me as I think that with my experience of performing research I have learned to be patient and have found a way to handle bumps and obstacles on the way.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
A Staphylococcus aureus, since this bacterium is my favorite and I would really like to have a little chat with him to explore more research possibilities.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
Having my ‘mommy’ Tuesday with both my kids and take them to the Burgers Zoo…looking at the easy way of living that animals have.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
I still feel a junior scientist myself, though for junior scientists that just started I would say: feel free and create your own research, since every idea is a new possibility to discover.
Please make a selection:
o Crisper-Cas9 or AI: AI
o Pipette or Biostatistics: Biostatistics
o RT-PCR or Proteomics: RT-PCR
o Big data or Clinical trial: Clinical trial
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
Hiking with the kids and close friends whenever we have the chance (a.k.a. no clinical shifts).
