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Hi there, my name is Dylan Henssen (27) and I was born and raised in Obbicht, a small village near Maastricht. Currently, I combine my work as a clinical intern in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine with my post-doctoral research activities within the department of Medical Imaging. Next to my clinical duties and research projects, I am the co-supervisor of several PhD students and enthusiastically engage in various courses for students of Radboud University and Radboudumc. Also, I serve on the UMC-Raad, a council which advices and monitors the Executive Board (Raad van Bestuur) of Radboudumc with regard to our research and education activities.
Where do you live?
I live in Nijmegen with my partner and many, many plants.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your childhood years?
When growing up, I always wanted to become a forensic pathologist, especially after watching “Crime Scene Investigation: Miami” on the television at night! So, I was already fascinated by anatomy, a fascination which further developed by having a professional butcher living next door. It might seem lurid, but thanks to my days spend in the butcher’s shop, I became certain that I wanted to study the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the human body after finishing high school.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
To become a forensic pathologist, I knew I needed to go to a university to study Medicine. I studied Medicine in Nijmegen, which was a coincidence really. At first, I did not draw a place to study Medicine, but after some other students decided not to start, I was able to join.
By that time, I had already started with my introduction courses at Radboud University to start studying Biology and I didn’t even know where the Faculty of (Bio)Medical sciences was positioned on the campus! Luckily, my roommate knew, and he introduced me to the faculty and helped me to get around during the first few weeks.
After studying here, I obtained a job as a PhD student at the Department of Anatomy and the Department of Neurosurgery, although the major topic of my PhD research comprised experimental ultra-high field Magnetic Resonance Imaging of post-mortem tissue. At that stage, I became enthusiastic about the possibilities of radiology/nuclear medicine in medicine, research and education, which explains my residency.
Which of your research discoveries are you most proud of?
In 2017, we discovered that the trigeminal nerve, which conducts painful stimuli from the face and head region, comprises an extra central pathway. Additionally, we described for the first time in humans that the trigeminal nerve has a bilateral projection system, which helped us to explain functional MRI patterns in patients suffering from chronic orofacial pain. This in turn helped us to define more accurate inclusion and exclusion criteria for an expensive, experimental neuromodulation treatment for patients suffering from devastating pain syndromes, which boosted the effectiveness-rate of that specific treatment.
Also, this anatomical discovery led to the development of improved, non-invasive pain treatments for devastating pain syndromes, which is now being investigated by other groups with which we collaborated during my PhD.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
After finishing my PhD, I switched form experimental neuroimaging to clinical neuroimaging in order to improve radiological care of patients. Together with the neuroradiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and clinicians, I aim to find ways to perform theranostics in a broad clinical spectrum of neuro(onco-)logical diseases and syndromes.
Theranostics describes the combination of using one radioactive agent to identify (diagnose) and a second radioactive agent to deliver therapy. We are only starting to think about using theranostics in specific neuro(onco-)logical diseases in order to improve clinical perspectives for individual patients. I hope I can contribute to that development in the coming 5 years.
If you could choose any mentor, who would it be?
I think I would go for Rik Torfs. He is a Belgian canon law scholar, professor in canon law and the former rector of the Catholic University of Leuven. He seems to be a natural orator with love for the different languages. In his speeches of roughly five years ago, he covers topics which we are only now discussing in politics. He certainly seems to have insight in the matter on how we organize our universities and how we monitor the quality of our science and education. I am convinced that I could learn a lot from him as my mentor.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
As a clinician, my favorite topic is of course the individual patient! However, as I learned during my PhD, connecting basic science with clinical practice could result in the most interesting results as these connections can advance future treatment options.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
Instead of further individualization of the scientific community, with the research leader being the star of the group, I strongly believe in scientific teamwork in which every member is credited for his/her achievements. Team science is, in my opinion, the most promising way forward.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
You can always wake me for food! Especially “hutspot”, it’s my favorite dish of all time!
What is the thing that irritates you most?
Naysayers! Not everything is doom and gloom.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms! But only really if she was allowed to be frank. She must have had such a fascinating life, but probably I am biased by Netflix’s The Crown….
How do you relax from the demanding job of being a scientist?
I love to go for a run; I try to do that 4-5 times per week. It’s not only relaxing, but also quite obligatory as my other relaxing method concerns eating. And I look forward to return to visiting the theaters and cinemas after the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Try to remain close to yourself and find those things in your daily job which motivate you! Finding internal- and external motivators helps you to go on when things get a bit more difficult.
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
A special picture of the most remarkable event of the last two years: my PhD defense. Luckily, I defended my thesis before the COVID-19 pandemic, so it was “old fashioned” with family, friends, colleagues and students in the audience. Quite nerve-racking, but, as my sister later stated, the first and possibly last moment in my life in which they all listened to me for 10 minutes without interrupting me.
