It is a great privilege to directly work with and for patients. That is something I learned in my role as advocacy manager at the Dutch federation of cancer patient associations. When I got the opportunity to start working for Janssen as Lead Patient Engagement & Advocacy I didn’t hesitate for a moment. At Janssen, everyone is committed to finding new and effective treatments for diseases like cancer and making them accessible to patients as quickly as possible. This company has so much expertise!

Sharing knowledge and expertise is challenging and at the same time, promising for the current medical sector. Only by sharing knowledge we can have impact on medical needs and create added value to quality of life. I believe that Janssen is in the position to make a difference. Sharing and collaborating is one of the core values of Janssen; during the development of innovative medicines we always look beyond our own laboratories. It is my personal ambition to even further promote and stimulate collaboration between Janssen and our stakeholders, whether these are governments, professional associations or patient organizations. I strongly believe that patient organizations should have a bigger say in the agenda of medical research. They have a good insight in their needs. With this information, we can start studies which have an added value and can make a real difference in the lives of patient. This motivates me to come to work every day.