Helen L. Leavis has been appointed Professor of Clinical Immunology as of May 1, 2025, and has been working as an internist-clinical immunologist at the Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology at UMC Utrecht since 2013. Her clinical focus is on patients with complex immunological diseases, including primary immunodeficiencies and autoinflammatory disorders. As a clinical scientist, Helen is able to dedicate part of her time to initiating and conducting scientific research. As a (principal) investigator, her research centers on the development of healthcare innovations for these patients using AI tools, and on making new treatments available through precision medicine and drug repurposing.

Helen obtained her medical degree in 2003 from Utrecht University, where she also earned her PhD in 2007 with a thesis titled “Evolutionary insights into CC17 Enterococcus faecium.” From 2016 to 2022, Helen Leavis served as program manager of the subspecialty of Allergy & Clinical Immunology within Internal Medicine at the UMC Utrecht. Throughout her career, Helen Leavis has held various national and international academic roles, including reviewer and editor for medical journals, organizer of scientific conferences, and advisor to professional organizations and funding bodies. She is (co-)author of approximately 90 publications in international scientific journals.