Prof. Dr. M.E. (Monique) van Leerdam, MSc

I have pursued my medical studies at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. After obtaining my medical degree, I embarked on a research trajectory in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Amsterdam Medical Center. Subsequently, I completed the training program to become a Gastroenterologist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam in 2007. With a KWF fellowship, I had the opportunity to further pursue my research on early cancer detection and also completed a Master's in Epidemiology at the NIHES in Rotterdam.
Until 2011, I worked as a Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at the Erasmus Medical Center. Afterward, I joined the Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. Since 2019, I am also working at Leiden University Medical Center as a senior staff member responsible for the care of individuals with a hereditary predisposition to cancer. In 2020, I was appointed as a professor.

My research focuses on the early detection and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer. Since 2004, I have been involved in the first populationbased screening studies for colorectal cancer, and since then, I have been one of the principal investigators involved in the evaluation and monitoring of the Dutch Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. In addition, various studies are underway where we examine the incidence of cancer in high-risk groups, how it develops, why it occurs at a young age, and how we can prevent or detect these cancers early. We also conduct research on organ-sparing treatments and immunotherapy for rectal and colon cancer. These studies are carried out in collaboration with various specialists at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, in cooperation with institutions such as Erasmus Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, and the Foundation for the Detection of Hereditary Tumors. Funding for the different studies comes from organizations such as the Digestive Diseases Foundation, ZonMW, and the RIVM.