Richard van Wijk

Richard van Wijk did his PhD in 2004 in UMC Utrecht on molecular mechanisms of disease in hereditary red blood cell enzymopathies. Currently he holds a position of Associate Professor at the Department Central Diagnostic Laboratory of the UMC Utrecht. He combines diagnostics, consultancy, and (translational) research activities on rare hereditary disorders of the red blood cell, affecting its production, function, or survival. Under his supervision the Central Diagnostic Laboratory has established itself as a National and International Center of Expertise for diagnosis and research on rare red blood cell disorders. Novel advanced and state-of-the art laboratory methods and the concept of ‘personalized diagnostics’ are applied to diagnosing and investigating patients with such disorders. Because of their rarity, the pathophysiology of many of these disorders is poorly understood. The key element of his research therefore is to gain a better understanding of pathophysiology and genotype-to-phenotype correlations, and the identification of novel (modifier) genes.