. In 1982 she started medical school at The University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam. This was followed by a training in Pediatrics (1989). During her residency she was able to spend a year in the laboratory to combine her clinical scientific studies with laboratory work. In 1995 she joined the Pediatric Oncology/hematology division as a fellow. She obtained several research grants from the Dutch cancer Society (KWF/NKB) and so was able to work at the department of Cell Biology headed by L Glimcher, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston USA during one year. In 1999 she obtained her PhD degree in Medical Sciences at the University of Groningen. Since 1999 she is a senior staff member of the division of pediatric hematology/oncology at the BeatrixChildrenHospital of the University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands. From 2005 until 2009 she received a personal paediatric oncological research award for the VEGF/VEGFR signaling research in AML from the Dutch Cancer Society (grantnumber 3661). Her main research focus is the role and mechanism of VEGF and VEGFR signaling on cellular behaviour of tumor cells and the environmental cells in acute myeloid leukemia and pediatric brain tumors. Her PhD students were awarded with the Travel awards by the American Society of Hematology and with the Scholar-in-training awards by the American Association of Cancer Research. The research in acute myeloid leukemia, and its signalling insights is facilitated by a collaboration with Prof Dr S Kornblau, Department of Hematology and Stem cell transplantation, MD Anderson, Houston, USA and Prof Dr M Peppelenbosch, department of gastroenterology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands outside the UMCG. Collaborative research proposals are externally funded.

As a staff member she is actively involved in the Dutch Childhood Oncology Group (DCOG). Besides being a board member, she is chairman of the CML protocol committee 2007 incorporating the international CML-PAED II study in the Netherlands. She is chair of the AML 2007 protocol committee and involved in the new international consortium for treatment of newly diagnosed pediatric AML with the scandinavian countries (NOPHO), Hong Kong, and Belgium. In addition, she is a protocol member of  ALL10 protocol committee, ALL Recidief 98, (non)Rhabdomyosarcoma, low grade glioma protocol committees. She is board member of the international CML working group of the IBFM.

As head of the department of Pediatric oncology/hematology she is actively involved in the process of quality and quality control in the treatment of children with cancer in the UMCG. She was able to initiate a system of quality control with all involved professionals such as pediatric oncologists, pediatric hematologists, nurses, secretaries, pharmacists, pediatricians and pharmacists in peripheral hospitals around the UMCG dealing in the shared care for children with cancer, In 2014 the system will be up for certification.

EDITORIAL BOARDS AND Professional memberships

• Member of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).
• Member of the Societee international d’’Oncologie Pediatrique (SIOP).
• Member of the American Society of Cancer Research (AACR)
• Member of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kindergeneeskunde (NVK)
• Editorial board member of Tijdschrift voor Kindergeneeskunde (1999-2006)
• Editorial board member of Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Hematologie (2008-2014)

HONORS AND AWARDS

1994                 Young Investigator Award of "European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases"

1994-1995            Research grant  from the Dutch Cancer Foundation (KWF/NKB) for specialists in training

1995-1999            Research grant from the Foundation for Pediatric Oncology Research Groningen.

1997-1998            Research grant from the Dutch Cancer Foundation (KWF/NKB)

2004-2006            Research grant SKOG (stichting kinderoncolgie Groningen)

2004-present     Limited Infrastructural support for basic laboratory instruments SKOG

2005-2009          Persoongebonden financiering KWF/NKB

2005-2009            Research grant KIKA

2005-2010            Research grant SKOG

2010-2014            Research grant KIKA

2010-2011         Research grant unrestricted industry

2010-2014         Research grant SKOG

2012-2016        Research grant KIKA

2013-2014        Research grant SKOG