Team

Diederik van de Beek, geb. 1974

Diederik van de Beek is a neurologist specialised in neurological infectious disease and the principle investigator of the neurologic infectious diseases research group in the AMC. He studied medicine at the university of Amsterdam and finished his PhD thesis entitled “Bacterial meningitis in adults” in 2004 at the same university. After finishing his neurology training he spent a year in the Mayo Clinics, Rochester, Minnisota, USA studying neurological infections in transplant patient and experimental meningitis. Following his return to the AMC he received research grants from the Dutch organization for scientific research (NWO) and the European Research Council (ERC) to continue his meningitis research. In a translational, bench-to-bedside approach Van de Beek unravels cause and effect in neurological infectious disease ultimately aiming to develop new treatments and prevention strategies.His research primarily focuses on three areas of research including bacterial meningitis, infections in stroke patients and delirium in sepsis patients .Van de Beek has published over 150 papers in international scientific journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet and Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Matthijs Brouwer, geb. 1977

Matthijs Brouwer studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received his medical degree in 2002. He worked as neurology resident in the Onze Lieve Vrouw Gasthuis in Amsterdam after which he started his neurology specialization in the Academic Medical Center. He finished his neurology training in 2010. During his training he started a nationwide cohort study on genetic risk factors of bacterial meningitis. In 2010 he received his PhD degree for his thesis entitled ‘bacterial meningitis in adults: clinical characteristics, risk factors and adjunctive treatment’. In 2011 Matthijs did a research fellowship in München at the Klinikum Gorsshadern (Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat) on the role of fibrinolysis in the development of cerebrovascular complications in an experimental meningitis model. In 2012 he returned to the AMC to work as a neurologist specialized in infectious and neuroimmunologic diseases. In 2012 he received a NWO Veni-grant for a research project on the pathofysiology and prevention of cerebrovascular complications in bacterial meningitis. 

Merijn Bijlsma, geb. 1978

Merijn Bijlsma studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and finished his pediatrics specialization VU Medical Center in 2012. During his study he performed a research project on tuberculosis in Nepal. Since September 2012 he is working as pediatrician in the VU Medical Center and started a PhD project in the Neuroinfections Amsterdam research group in the AMC. Merijn is working on the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis and is involved in the Pediatric Dutch Bacterial Infection Genetics (PEDBIG) study. In 2016 he defended his PhD thesis cum laude and stays involved as a post doc at the Neuroinfection Amsterdam research group.

JooYeon Lee, geb. 1979

JooYeon is born in South-Korea, where she studied medicine. She continued her medical study at the Medical University of the America’s and she did several internships in the US, Canada and Great-Britain. In 2005 she obtained her USMLE exam. Finally she came to the Netherlands and she specialized as a neuropathologist in the UMCU. She is registered as a pathologist since 2013. During her specialization she participated in several research projects. Currently she is working on the histopathological aspects of inflammation in meningitis and delirium.

Bart Ferwerda, geb. 1978

Bart Ferwerda studied biology at the VU University Amsterdam. He got his PhD degree in 2010 at the Radboud University, Nijmegen for his thesis “Genetic variation in the innate immune system and susceptibility to infections”. As a post-doc he performed a research project in the USA (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania) on genetic variation and evolutionary history of the innate immune system in Africans.
Currently, he is focusing on host and bacterial genetic factors that influence bacterial meningitis. By mapping the complex interaction between genetic factors of host and bacterium, more insight is obtained in susceptibility and severity of meningitis.

Mercedes Valls Serón, geb. 1980

Mercedes Valls Serón obtained her bachelor´s degree in 2002 and her Medical Biology master´s degree of the University of Barcelona, Spain in 2005. In the last year of her master program she received an Erasmus grant to perform research at the Sanquin foundation in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This research was performed at the department of Immunopathology under supervision of Prof. C. E. Hack in collaboration with Dr. H.W.M Niessen of the Department of Pathology of the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam. In 2011 she received her PhD-degree on Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and bacterial infections under supervision of Prof. J.C.M Meijers at the department of Experimental Vascular Medicine of the University of Amsterdam, and Prof. Ph. G. de Groot at the department of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology of the University Medical Center Utrecht. From 2011 onwards she works as a PostDoc on experimental bacterial meningitis research. Her main research interests are improving the knowledge on the pathophysiology during the acute phase of the disease and investigate new targets for adjuvant treatments.

Joost Costerus, geb. 1982

Joost Costerus studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam en received his medical degree in 2008. Subsequently he worked as a neurology resident in the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam. He did his training for neurologist in the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam and completed his residency in december 2015. From january 2016 Joost started working as a neurologist in the Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis at Beverwijk. In June 2016 Joost came back to the AMC as a Fellow Neuroinfectious Diseases and is doing parttime research at the Neuroinfection Amsterdam research group. During his residency and he started his research on the occurrence of cancer meningitis and the usefulness of repeated lumbar punctures in patients with bacterial meningitis. 

Kees van Ettekoven, geb. 1982

Kees van Ettekoven studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received his medical degree in 2010 and started working as resident Neurology at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis and Academical Medical Centre in Amsterdam. He started his training for Neurology in 2012. At the completion of his training he joined the bacterial meningitis research group, focusing on predictive values of coma scores on outcome and mortality.

Daan Fritz, geb. 1988

Daan Fritz received his medical degree at the University of Amsterdam. During his medical study he already worked as a student-researcher for the research group Neuroinfections Amsterdam. During this period, he became interested in the inflammation of the nervous system. After his medical study he worked as a neurology resident in the ‘Medisch Centrum Alkmaar’. He returned to the research group in 2015 to focus his research on the disease neurosarcoidosis, a chronic granulomatous, multi-system disease. Beside investigating the genetic susceptibility for neurosarcoidosis, he will be involved in the clinical care for patients with this auto-immune disease. 

Inge Hoogland, geb. 1985

Inge Hoogland studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received her medical degree in 2009. Following het graduation she worked as a neurology resident in the Onze Lieve Vrouw Gasthuis in Amsterdam. In December 2010 she started het PhD project in de AMC in Amsterdam on the pathogenesis of sepsis associated delirium. She examines the effect of systemic infection on the immune system of the brain, in which she is specifically interested in microglia activation. In March 2014 she started her neurology training in the AMC.

Soemirien Kasanmoentalib, geb. 1987

Soemirien studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received her medical degree in 2012. During her medicine study she did a scientific internship at the neurology department of the AMC, where she focused on hydrocephalus as complication of bacterial meningitis. For this project she received the second prize for the UvA student paper awards. In July 2012 she started with her PhD project, consisting of a translational research project on the role of the complement system in bacterial meningitis. She analyses the complement system in patients included in the MeninGene study and in an experimental pneumococcal meningitis model. Furthermore she is working on the neuroimaging of patients in the MeninGene cohort. In 2016 she started her neurology residency.

Hina Khan, geb. 1984

Hina Naz Khan studied Bioinformatics in Pakistan and then moved  to Netherlands to continue her studies. She received her master’s bioinformatics degree in 2015 from Vrij Universiteit Amsterdam. In August 2015, she started her PhD at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, where she focuses on the integration of host and pathogen responses in meningitis and sepsis. The aim is to identify pathways associated with the outcome of meningitis and sepsis, to identify genetic and epigenetic mechanisms modifying the expression of these pathways, and to investigate the functional role of host and bacterial genetic variation in meningitis and sepsis.

Anne Kloek, geb. 1987

Anne Kloek studied medicine at University of Utrecht and received her medical degree in 2012. After graduation she worked as a junior medical teacher at the University Medical Center Utrecht. Since july 2013 she has started her PhD project at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, where she focuses on the functionality of genetic variants  influencing susceptibility and outcome of o bacterial meningitis. To this aim she has set up a study on serial blood sampling of meningitis patients and analysis of RNA expression and the coaguation and inflammatory response in the blood samples (SMS MeninGene substudy). Besides she coordinates the MeninGene Recall study in order to determine the long term cognitive sequelae of bacterial meningitis patients. In june 2017 she started a neurology residency in the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam.

Merel Koopmans, geb. 1988

Merel Koopmans studied medicine at the University of Utrecht and received her medical degree in 2013. During her medical study she published an article about the clinical course of Listeria monocytogenes meningitis in the past 10 years and the increased mortality, morbidity and differed virulence. She worked as neurology resident in the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis for one year. Since August 2014 she works at the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam and started her PhD project on Listeria meningitis, for which she received an AMC PhD scholarship. In June 2016 Merel started her recidency to become a neurologist.

Philip Kremer, geb. 1984

Philip Kremer studied pharmacy and medicine at the Utrecht University. During his study he performed a research project in Vancouver, Canada, on factors influencing insulin secretion by beta-cells in the pancreas. In the UMC Utrecht he was involved in research on the genetics of arteriovenous malformations in the brain. In May 2013 he started neurology specialization in the AMC. From September 2014 till Juni 2016 he worked on his PhD project on the effects of genetic variation in bacterial meningitis patients in a fundamental setup and clinical setup.

Ingeborg van Zeggeren, geb. 1990

Ingeborg van Zeggeren studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received her medical degree in 2016. After her graduation she worked as a neurology resident in the MC Slotervaart in Amsterdam for one year. In August 2017 she started her PhD project at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on diagnostics in neurological infections.  For this she is currently setting up the I-PACE study, which focuses on improvement of diagnostic methods in different types of encephalitis.

Merel van Kassel, geb. 1990

Merel van Kassel studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received her medical degree in 2016. After her graduation she worked as a pediatric resident in the OLVG Oost in Amsterdam for one year. In August 2017 she started her PhD project at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam for which she is currently setting up the NOGBS study. This is a nationwide prospective cohort study on Group B streptococcal infections in neonates.

Diederik Koelman, geb. 1992

Marjolein Lucas, geb. 1986

Marjolein Lucas studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received her medical degree in 2011. For half a year she worked as a neurology resident in the Onze Lieve Vrouw Gasthuis in Amsterdam. Thereafter she started her PhD project in de Academic Medical Center (AMC) and is mainly working on the MeninGene study. She focuses on the cerebrovascular complications of bacterial meningitis. In January 2014 she started her neurology specialization in the AMC and in 2016 she had her PhD defence of her thesis titled: 'Complications and outcome of bacterial meningitis'.

Jurgen Piet, geb. 1980

Jurgen Piet recieved his Master of Science degree in medical molecular biology in 2003 and his medical degree in 2008, both at the University of Amsterdam. After his graduation he worked as a neurology resident at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam. Subsequently, he started with his PhD project in the Neuroinfections Amsterdam research group of the AMC, for which he received an AMC PhD scholarship. In 2011 he started with his neurology training in the AMC. The subject of his PhD project is the influence of bacterial genetic factors on bacterial meningitis outcome and in June 2016 he defended his PhD thesis titled: 'bacterial genetics in meningits'.

Jan Dirk Vermeij, geb. 1986

Jan-Dirk Vermeij studied medicine at the University of Maastricht and received his medical degree in July 2010. During his study he did a research project on deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease, depression and Huntington’s disease. In august 2010 he started a PhD project in de AMC in Amsterdam, mainly working on the Preventive Antibiotics in Stroke Study, but also on immunodepression after stroke. In January 2013 he started his neurology training in the AMC.

Kiril van Veen, geb. 1983

Kiril van Veen studied medicine at the University of Leiden and received his medical degree in 2008. Since 2011 he started with his training for neurologist in the MC Haaglanden in The Hague and finished this in 2016. As a part of his neurology training he studied on immunocompromised patients with bacterial meningitis at the Neuroinfections Amsterdam research group of the AMC. This resulted in a PhD project and he will finish this during his new job as a neurologist in the Alrijne hospital in Leiderdorp.

Willeke Westendorp, geb. 1983

Willeke Westendorp studied medicine at the Utrecht University, after which she worked in the Onze Lieve Vrouwen Gasthuis (Amsterdam) as a neurology resident. Since 2010 she is works in the Academic Medical Center (Amsterdam) as a PhD student on the Preventive Antibiotics in Stroke Study (PASS). Furthermore, she looks at immunodepression following stroke in patients included in this trial. In 2013 she started her neurology specialization.

Dunja Westhoff, geb. 1984

Dunja Westhoff did a bachelor in psychobiology at the University of Amsterdam, after which she decided to study medicine. Since 2011 she is doing a combined MD-PhD training in the AMC and in 2012 she received her medical degree. Currently, she is working as a PhD researcher on sepsis associated encephalopathie. She focuses on analysing body materials (brains, cerebrospinal fluid) of patients who suffered from sepsis and delirium. In 2015 she started with her anesthesiology recidensy.

Wing Kit Man, geb. 1989

Wing Kit studied Biomedical Sciences at the University of Amsterdam and obtained his bachelor’s degree in 2010 and his master’s degree in 2012. From April until August 2013 he worked as research technician at the department of Medical Microbiology at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Since September 2013 he is working as research technician at the department of Neurology at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Currently he contributes to a research project that investigates the genetics of bacterial meningitis pathogens.

Valery Jaspers, geb. 1987

Valery studied medical microbiology at the University of Utrecht and received her diploma in 2008. During her study, she did an internship at the “OLVG” in Amsterdam, where she focused on diagnostics. Her research internship (9 months) was performed at Texas A&M University, America. She investigated the role of TNF-α in shiga-toxin mediated renal disease.
From 2008 to 2010 Valery worked as a technician at the GGD in Amsterdam, where she performed diagnostic tasks at the microbiology and molecular department. In 2010 she applied for a job in the AMC at the medical microbiology department. During this 4 year project, under the supervision of Dr. S.A.J. Zaat, she investigated biomaterial associated infections, focusing on immunohistology.
From 2014 onwards she works as a research technician on experimental bacterial meningitis research.