“I always felt more like a physician than a scientist. When I had the chance to obtain my PhD, I figured: I can be a physician until I’m seventy, let’s just give it a shot. I quickly discovered how educational and wonderful the combination of patient contact and in-depth investigation. My research shows that the treatment results after the start of the population screening program for colorectal cancer have been favorable. As a result, fewer people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and we can now often detect colorectal cancer at an early stage through the population screening program. But there is always room for improvement. We initiated a large trial in which we try to find ways to improve the balance between pros and cons of the screening even more, by inviting people more or less often based on their risk profile. Communication with the target audience is very important. I personally greatly value the feeling of freedom, which I find on the water and in nature. When I’m not working as ANOIS at the medical health department of the Meander Medical Center in Amersfoort, I love to go out sailing or hiking.”
Emilie Breekveldt will defend her thesis on June 5.
prof. dr. M.E. van Leerdam & prof. dr. I. Lansdorp-Vogelaar
dr. E. Toes-Zoutendijk