AGEM symposium: "(Dis)balances in androgens throughout life"

Prof. Dr. Annemieke Heijboer

Professor of Endocrine Laboratory Medicine, head of the Endocrine Laboratory (Amsterdam UMC), clinical chemist-endocrinologist

Prof. Dr. Annemieke Heijboer obtained her PhD at the Leiden University in the Netherlands in 2006, and went to Amsterdam (VU University Medical Center) to be trained as clinical chemist with, later on, a specialization in endocrinology. In 2010, she became head of the Endocrine Laboratory of the VU University Medical Center, which she merged with the Endocrine Laboratory of the Amsterdam Medical Center in 2018. Prof. Dr. Annemieke Heijboer is a member of the Bone committee of the IFCC and chair of the Dutch committee of the Dutch Society for Clinical Chemistry. Her research focuses on the development and application of new methods for hormone measurement, with a special interest in steroid and thyroid hormones.

Drs. Bas Adriaansen

Medical doctor in paediatrics (ANIOS) (Rijnstate), PhD Candidate paediatric endocrinology and laboratory medicine (Radboud UMC)

Bas Adriaansen studied Medical Biology at the Radboud University, Nijmegen. After a premaster and master, he obtained his medical degree in 2021 at the same university. Currently, he is working as a PhD candidate at the departments of Pediatric Endocrinology and Laboratory medicine at Radboud university medical center under supervision of prof. dr. Hedi Claahsen, prof. dr. Fred Sweep, dr. Teun van Herwaarden and dr. Paul Span. His PhD research focuses on the clinical and laboratory aspects of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). This includes studying 46,XX CAH patients with a male sex-of-rearing, developing and validating an LC-MS/MS method to measure 11-oxygenated androgens and other steroid hormones, and investigating the consequences of androgen overproduction in patients with non-classic CAH.

Dr. Sabine Hannema

Paediatric endocrinologist (Amsterdam UMC)

Sabine Hannema is paediatric endocrinologist at Amsterdam UMC. She is board member of the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria and coordinator of the DSD team. She completed her training in paediatrics and paediatric endocrinology at Leiden University Medical Centre, Erasmus University Medical Centre and Juliana Children’s Hospital and received her PhD from Cambridge University, U.K.

Drs. Lidewij Boogers

Physician-researcher at the Knowledge and Care Center for Gender Dysphoria (Amsterdam UMC)

Lidewij Boogers obtained her medical degree in 2020 from Leiden University Medical Center and is currently working at the Juliana Children's Hospital in The Hague.

She is also in the final stages of her PhD trajectory at the Department of Endocrinology at Amsterdam University, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Martin den Heijer, Prof. Dr. Paul van Trotsenburg, Dr. Sabine Hannema, and Dr. Chantal Wiepjes. Her thesis focuses on the efficacy and safety of endocrinological treatment in transgender adolescents. This includes effects on e.g., bone mineral density, body composition and growth.

Prof. Dr. Baudewijntje Kreukels

Full Professor at the Department of Medical Psychology and the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria (Amsterdam UMC).

In her PhD thesis she examined the effects of chemotherapy on cognitive functioning in breast cancer patients (collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and the Dutch Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital). Since 2006, her research focuses on the development of gender identity and gender incongruence, and the evaluation of care and treatment for gender incongruence and variations in sex development (differences of sex development, DSD). She is a principal investigator affiliated to the research institutes Amsterdam Public Health and Amsterdam Reproduction & Development. Since 2023, she is a program leader of the program council of Personalized Medicine (Amsterdam Public Health). Current research interests include aging and effects of hormone treatment on cognitive function and psychological well-being, sexual health in people with gender incongruence and variations of sex development, and the neurobiological substrate of gender incongruence and its treatment. She is a (co)author of >140 publications and supervises several PhD students.

Prof. Dr. Joop Laven

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OBGYN), gynaecologist (Erasmus MC)

Prof. dr. Joop Laven studied medicine in Utrecht and obtained his PhD there. His PhD research was on the treatment of varicocele (varicose vein rupture) in men and its effect on fertility. He then transferred to the Radboud UMC and did his training as a gynaecologist there. After this, he joined Erasmus MC in 1998, where he subspecialized in reproductive medicine. In 2009, he became a professor there. After his specialisation, his research focused more and more on women and very specifically on polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), early menopause (POI) and menopause.”

Dr. Inge Custers

Gynaecologist and sexologist at the Center for Reproductive Medicine (Amsterdam UMC)

Dr. Inge Custers is a gynaecologist and sexologist specialized in reproductive medicine, endocrinology and sexuality. She counsels couples and women with unfulfilled childbearing wishes due to hormonal problems, among others. In addition, she is a member of the PGT (pre-implantation genetic testing) team that treats couples with desire for children and a greatly increased risk of inherited diseases in the offspring.

In 2017, she also entered the post-master's program in sexology and has been counseling patients with sexual problems ever since. She also investigates whether online sex counseling can improve sexual pleasure & functioning, and thus the likelihood of pregnancy, in couples with unexplained fertility problems.

Dr. Andreas Meiβner

Urologist - andrologist (Amsterdam UMC)

Dr. Andreas Meiβner is a urologist with a specialization in andrology. He focuses on male (in)fertility, fertility preservation, erectile dysfunction, hypogonadism and chronic pain in the urogenital area. Dr. Andreas Meiβner obtained his PhD in 2003 at the Witten/Herdecke University in Germany on the topic of adhesion molecules in renal cancer. In his current research, he focuses on testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and fertility preservation in men, including spermatogonial stem cells.

Dr. Pim de Ronde

Internist – endocrinologist (Spaarne Gasthuis)

Dr. Pim de Ronde is an internist-endocrinologist with a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases or disorders related to testosterone. In 2006, he obtained his PhD on the topic of the diagnosis and treatment of hypogonadism in men. In 2010, Dr. Pim de Ronde founded the Center of Expertise on Anabolic Steroids ("Anabolenpoli"). This clinic aims to improve knowledge about the health effects of anabolic steroid use and to provide scientific evidence for interventions. In addition to his work in patient care and scientific research, Dr. Pim de Ronde serves as an educator for the specialism of internal medicine.