My Personal Journey
Lilly Verhagen
Group Leader
Education and qualifications
My journey in medicine began with a profound childhood desire to care for the vulnerable, leading me to become a dedicated paediatrician.
My fascination with host-pathogen interactions and my love for “medical detective” work in studying children with recurrent, atypical, or unexplained infections drove me to specialize in infectious diseases and immunology (certified subspecialist since January 2023).
Working in underprivileged populations early in my career taught me that impacting the health of our future generations worldwide requires wearing many hats. This multifaceted approach resonated with me, prompting me to pursue additional academic achievements.
Therefore, in addition to my cum laude Phd (2014), I also earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology (2019), while completing my residency in paediatrics (2014 – 2020).
My diverse training, spanning clinical practice, research, and epidemiology, has empowered me to play key roles in global health and public policy. I have served as board member of both the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) and the World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (WSPID).
In 2019, I founded Young WSPID, a group of paediatricians (in training) supporting young professionals in low- and middle-income countries. Starting with just 15 Young WSPID members, we have grown to over 600 members worldwide.
Work experience
Over the past 15 years, I have blended patient care with translational research, focusing on global paediatric populations at risk for respiratory infections. I have worked in both urban and rural settings in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and South America.
Currently, I am primarily based at the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, where I spend 8/12 months per year.
Here, I allocate 40% of my time to clinical patient care in the Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases & Immunology and 60% to translational research as an assistant professor and group leader in the Laboratory of Medical Immunology.
For four months each year, I work at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and St. Maarten Medical Centre, the Caribbean. This unique arrangement developed from my longstanding collaborations with both sites and the complementary nature of our research.
Operating as a clinician scientist across three countries serves several purposes. It offers valuable clinical exposure to diverse respiratory infection settings, allowing for the identification of pertinent research questions.
Moreover, it enables a focus on underrepresented populations, recognizing that characteristics of respiratory infections in South African townships or the Caribbean cannot be simply extrapolated from data elsewhere.
This tri-country practice is particularly meaningful as South Africa and the Caribbean share multi-ethnic populations and a high prevalence of respiratory infections.
This unique demographic allows for a nuanced assessment of factors such as ethnicity, living environment, and nutrition on mucosal respiratory immunity.
Our collective interest in elucidating host factors that shape local epidemiology and mucosal immunology in respiratory infections has fostered collaborative projects, secured grants, and facilitated dual supervision of (PhD) students.
