Prof. Marjolein Drent is currently guest senior researcher at the ILD Center of Excellence, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. She was a pulmonologist and member of the Center from 2015 until August 2022. From 2005 till July 2022 she was appointed Professor of interstitial lung diseases (ILD) at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of the Maastricht University, NL. Her oration was entitled: ‘Breathtaking inspirations…’ Currently, she is professor emeritus. She is emeritus president of WASOG (World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Diseases). She acted as a reviewer for many international journals. She has (co-) authored over 500 papers and book chapters. Over the past decades she has been deeply involved in several educational assignments; organizing postgraduate courses and congresses; guideline development, and clinical trials. She is the co-editor of several ILD and sarcoidosis-related e-learning modules for pulmonologists and ILD nurses. She is a sought-after (inter)national speaker, acting as an invited speaker more than 300 times. Her interest is in sarcoidosis, fibrotic lung diseases, drug-induced ILD, quality of life, fatigue and work-related issues, always putting the patient’s needs first. She is founder and chair of the ild care foundation (interstitial lung diseases, including sarcoidosis and those related to occupational and environmental management and research). She is honorary member of Sarcoidose.nl (Dutch Sarcoidosis Patient Association), and co-founder and member of the advisory board of the Dutch Pulmonary Fibrosis Society. She has been the (co)promotor of more than 16 PhD students. In 2012 she was nominated for the ‘World Sarcoidosis Person of the Year Award’ for her tireless research work in defining the psychological burden faced by patients and their families, Dublin, Ireland. She is an ambassador for Compassion for Care and the Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation. She was appointed as an Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau by Royal Decree awarded in 2016 by the deputy mayor of Ede, NL. In 2022 she won the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Lifetime Achievement Award ILD 2022 (Assembly 12) for her outstanding contributions to the field of ILD. In 2023 she was selected for the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) Sarcoidosis Crystal Award for Excellence in Research and Clinical Care. In September 2023 she has been appointed as an Honorary Member of the ERS. In June 2024 she received the prestigious professor Swierenga Medal for exceptional contributions in the field of healthcare, science, and the societal development of lung diseases in the Netherlands.

Publications