Vermeer, M. (Marloes) MSc.

PhD student

Presence	:	Ma . / Di. / Wo. / Do. / Vr.
Building	:	Citadel, room H 423
Telephone	:	+31 (0)53 – 489 6072 +31 (0)53 – 489 4470 (secretary)
Fax	:	+31 (0)53 – 489 2388
Personal website
e-mail	:	m.vermeer@gw.utwente.nl

Expertise

In 2008 Marloes Vermeer graduated in Biomedical Sciences at the Radboud University Nijmegen, with a major in Epidemiology and a minor in Occupational and Environmental Health. Her master thesis was an epidemiological study into achieving remission and prognostic factors for remission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This study was conducted at the Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital. Since August 2008 Marloes is working as a PhD student at the department of Psychology & Communication of Health & Risk.

Research project

The PhD project of Marloes is focused on the treatment of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily clinical practice. The modern treatment of RA consists of early intervention with combination therapy and intensive monitoring, with the aim of suppressing disease activity and a better long-term prognosis. Remission is the goal of treatment in RA. This is a realistic goal in randomized controlled clinical trials. Remission seems to be achievable in daily clinical practice as well.

The cohort study ‘Remission induction in early RA’ – part of the Dutch Rheumatoid Arthritis Monitoring (DREAM) study – is a prospective observational study where RA patients are treated according to a tight control, step-up treatment strategy. At every visit, data concerning disease activity, medication, functional disability and health are collected. The PhD project will focus on this cohort study. The main goal of this PhD project is to get insight into achieving remission in RA patients in daily clinical practice.

The following research questions will be addressed:

-	How many patients achieve remission in daily clinical practice?

-	What are the characteristics of patients that do or do not achieve remission?

-	Does radiological progression occur in patients in clinical remission?

-	Does ultrasonography of the joints of the hands and feet contribute to a better determination of disease activity and eventually in optimizing the therapeutic policy?

-	What is the cost effectiveness of the treatment strategy of this cohort?

The PhD project is supervised by:

Prof. dr. M.A.F.J. van de Laar, Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital and University of Twente

Dr. H.H. Kuper, Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital