I firmly believe in health as a universal and fundamental human right. Unfortunately, the poorest in this world are systematically being denied this right: drugs are not being developed for the typical ‘neglected’ diseases they are suffering from and if drugs are available they have no access to them. My work and career are fully dedicated and guided by the conviction that even the most neglected populations and patients deserve good quality healthcare - and even a single individual can make a difference.
I studied pharmaceutical sciences, tropical medicine and drug innovation, receiving my PhD in 2013. My research focuses on the clinical development and optimization of drug treatment for neglected tropical diseases and, more generally, applying state-of-the-art quantitative pharmacometric methodologies to improve patient care. My research has been funded by various highly competitive grants from e.g. the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP), and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative.
I am Associate Editor for the open-access journals Frontiers in Pharmacology and BMC Infectious Diseases, and Academic Editor for PLOS ONE. I am Chair of the Scientific Organisation Committee of the Population Approach Group Europe and past steering committee member of the Pharmacometrics Network Benelux.
I have peer-reviewed for over 50 different scientific journals and received various Publons Top Reviewer awards for that. I am a regular expert reviewer for governmental agencies such as UK MRC, the French ANR, and the Italian Ministry of Health, and non-governmental organizations such as Institut Pasteur and European & Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP).
I am author and co-author of over 80 scientific journal articles and book chapters on various topics related to drug development, tropical medicine, clinical pharmacology, and quackery. I write regularly (in Dutch) for the Dutch Society against Quackery.