RVB Translational Medicine Book
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“In my heart I am still a basic scientist, but it is amazing what<br />
kind of impact you can have on peoples’ lives.”<br />
Jeffrey Beekman<br />
Group Leader, <strong>Translational</strong> Research on Cystic Fibrosis, UMC Utrecht<br />
Recently, Jeffrey Beekman was one of the speakers at<br />
the largest conference on Cystic Fibrosis (CF) in the<br />
United States. Many parents of children with CF were<br />
present. “The vibe at this conference gave me goose<br />
bumps. I could feel the response to our research when<br />
everyone saw our experiments for the first time. When<br />
I talked to the parents afterwards, I learned that our<br />
research really had a large impact. It still gives me<br />
goose bumps.”<br />
Jeffrey has not always worked in the field of<br />
<strong>Translational</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>. “As a basic scientist, you focus<br />
on scientific concepts and questions. Basic research is<br />
obviously needed, but I wanted to have more impact<br />
on patients’ lives. That is why I switched to the field of<br />
CF.” Jeffrey now collaborates with scientists from<br />
different disciplinary backgrounds. His team designed<br />
a test focussing on stem cells that could potentially be<br />
used for CF treatment. ”Together with the CF patient<br />
organisation we co-fund a program to enable<br />
individualized therapy for CF. What I like about having<br />
direct patient involvement: they keep you oriented on<br />
the impact of research for the patient. In the end, with<br />
our research we provide a service for the community.<br />
In my heart I am still a basic scientist, but it is amazing<br />
what kind of impact you can have on peoples’ lives.<br />
You hope and dream about what you may achieve, but<br />
this time it turned out to be even better in real life.”<br />
UMC Utrecht 23
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