Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands
I am a biomedical scientist passionate about infectious diseases. I have ample experience with microbiological and molecular laboratory techniques, next generation sequencing, data management, bioinformatics, and statistics. During my doctoral research at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, I investigated resistance to first-line antibiotics in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Using whole genome sequencing, targeted deep sequencing, phenotypic drug susceptibility testing, and clinical data, I investigated which bacterial genomic mutations predict differences in resistance levels and whether those mutations are associated with treatment failure. In addition, I analysed the transmission fitness of drug resistance-causing mutations in a cohort of patients in Bangladesh. In my role as tuberculosis consultant at KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation in the Netherlands, I assisted in the implementation of innovative tuberculosis diagnostics and the execution of accompanying implementation research. In addition, I contributed to guideline development, patient advocacy, and education of public health professionals.
Coordinating and teaching in ITM’s course “Clinical Decision-Making for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis”, an interactive training on clinical aspects of DR-TB diagnosis and care (https://edu.itg.be/courses/clinical-decision-making-for-drug-resistant-tuberculosis).
Master internship