Dr A. van Royen-Kerkhof is senior consultant in Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology at the department of Pediatric Immunolgy an Rheumatology of the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital Utrecht, the Netherlands. She obtained her MD degree in 1990 at the Medical School of the University of Utrecht. She was trained as a paediatrician from 1991-1996 In Utrecht and Eindhoven (Catharina Ziekenhuis) In 2002 she achieved her specialist degree in Pediatric Immunolgy and Rheumatology. In 2005 she finished her PhD thesis on “Fcg-receptors in the clinics”.
The main focus of her clinical work is on Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases, the research focus is on Juvenile Dermatomyositis.

Currently she is involved in the development of the Medical/Research Master programme SUMMA in the University Medical Center Utrecht (2016-present).

As a member of the Medical Ethical Committee she was involved in reviewing investigational protocols for research in children  and persons who are incapable of giving consent.

Currently she is involved in the national and international discussions on accessibility of (expensive) treatment in pediatric patients

International research collaborations

• 2012 - present   SHARE project: Best practices for the treatment of pediatric rheumatic diseases,  as the chair of expert group on Juvenile dermatomyositis.
• 2013 - present    Development of Optimal/minimal Core Set criteria in Juvenile Dermatomyositis (P.I. Liza McCann, Alderhey Hospital Liverpool, UK)
• 2010 - present    BrainWorks: a multicenter data-base for juvenile central nerve system vasculitis.
• 2012 - present    Collaboration with dr Lisa Rider (NIH/NHS, Bethesda, USA) and dr Adam Huber (Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada) on Juvenile Dermatomyositis (database analysis for prognostic factors of JDM)

Membership National Societies:

• Member of Dutch Society of Paediatricians (Nederlandse Vereniging Kindergeneeskunde NVK)
  • 2011 - present:  vice-chair of “Werkgroep Dure en Weesgeneesmiddelen”
  • 2014 - present:  PI of SKMS project “Beschrijving off-label indicaties Dure en Weesgeneesmiddelen voor het Kinderformularium”
• 2010 - present: Chair of Dutch society for Paediatric Rheumatology (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kinderreumatologie NVKR);
• Federatie Medisch Specialisten:

• member of  working party “Geneesmiddelen”
• 2015-present: member of working party  “Dure geneesmiddelen”      

• Member of Dutch society of Immunodeficiencies (Werkgroep Immuundeficiënties WID)
• Member Board Society of Immune Mediated Inflammatory      diseases
• Membership “Interuniversitaire Werkgroep Autoinflammatie”

Membership International Societies:

• 2008 - present: Member Pediatric Rheumatology Society  (PReS)
• 2010 - present: Chair Working Party European Working Party Juvenile Dermatomyositis (PReS),
• 2007 - present: Member European Society of immunodeficiencies (ESID)
• 2015 - present: FULLPHASE Medical Advisory Board

 Other related activities

• 2007- present: Medical Advisor “KAISZ”, a society for parents and children with auto-immune and auto-inflammatory systemic diseases  
• 2011- present: Medical Advisor VSN (Vereniging Spierziekten Nederland)
• 2006- present: Boardmember Sophie Beuninck Stichting,

• Stichting KAISZ (WKZ estafetteloop):                                                 5000, -
• OBI project (Novartis):                                                                      10.000,-
• Guidelines NVKR (Abbott):                                                                 16.000,-
• Basic research (Regulatory T cells in Juvenile Dermatomyositis)            30.000,-
• (De Bas Stichting)
• Prinses Beatrix Spierfonds:.                                                               185.955,-

 (Biomarkers voor ziekteactiviteit bij Juveniele Dermatomyositis)

• SKMS project       Dure en Weesgeneesmiddelen                                60.000,-

Awards of AIO
Judith Wienke award Young Investigator Meeting EULAR/PReS, Rom4 Italy, June 9^th 2015:

CXCL10, TNFR2 and Galectin-9 correlate with disease activity in Juvenile Dermatomyositis.