Steven Thijsen, MD

Steven trained as a medical microbiologist at UMC Utrecht and started as Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology on 1 January 2026. Prior, he was head of department at Erasmus MC, where he also holds the chair of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at Erasmus University. Earlier in his career, he held both clinical and managerial positions at the Diakonessenhuis and St. Antonius Hospital, giving him extensive experience within the regional healthcare network.

His research focuses on the epidemiology and surveillance of antibiotic resistance, immunodiagnostics of tuberculosis and tick-borne infections such as Lyme disease. He played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of the national antibiotic resistance surveillance network and in the realization of “Eenheid van Taal” (Unity of Language) for nationwide data exchange, a key foundation for the rapid rollout of CoronIT during the COVID-19 pandemic.