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Plastic surgeon Brigitte van der Heijden has been appointed as endowed professor of Trauma-related hand surgery at Radboud university medical center / Radboud University. Through her professorship, she aims to future-proof care for people with hand and wrist injuries by focusing on personalized care, innovative diagnostics, and strong interdisciplinary collaboration.
Approximately twenty percent of patients in the emergency department present with hand or wrist injuries. These can significantly impact work, independence, and quality of life. 'The hand is essential in everything we do', says Van der Heijden. The hand and wrist are complex, and quality care requires close coordination between various disciplines. 'Yet care is often fragmented. With my professorship, I want to better organize hand and wrist care around the patient, so the right care is delivered at the right time by the right team.'
The professorship as a driver of innovation
The Trauma-related hand surgery chair aligns closely with Radboudumc’s mission and the Fit for the Future program: organizing meaningful, personalized care around the patient. Within the future Center for Trauma, Reconstruction, and Movement, Van der Heijden aims to integrate care, research, and education in hand and wrist surgery.
She focuses on three pillars. She will optimize care by establishing a multidisciplinary care pathway for acute hand and wrist injuries. She seeks to gain insight and define the various care moments within the hand trauma pathway, from emergency treatment to rehabilitation. Second, she will focus on innovation and technology, using new imaging techniques such as 4DCT and AI to improve diagnostics and treatment. And third, she will work on outcome-based care, measuring what truly matters — functional recovery, quality of life, return to work, and cost-effectiveness.
4DCT: movement as the key to better diagnostics
A key part of her research is the use of 4DCT, a technique that visualizes wrist movement in three dimensions over time. 'It’s actually strange to assess a joint — in this case, the wrist — without seeing it move', says Van der Heijden. 'Most ligament injuries in the wrist are only visible during movement. With 4DCT, these injuries can be better diagnosed without invasive procedures.'
The technique allows comparison between the injured and healthy wrist of the same patient, revealing exactly what is disrupted and enabling more tailored treatment. 'That’s the power of 4DCT', she explains. 'We map the joint’s movement, improving diagnosis and tracking the effect of surgery on wrist function. It brings us closer to truly personalized care.'
Technology in service of better care
AI is essential for analyzing 4DCT images. Radboudumc is a global leader in this development and is the first hospital in the world to fully automatically analyze 4DCT images using AI. This makes the technique fast, reliable, and clinically applicable.
Van der Heijden and her team also study the effects of surgical corrections of improperly healed wrist fractures. Using 3D planning, surgeries are precisely prepared, and 4DCT is used postoperatively to measure wrist movement recovery.
From her professorship, Van der Heijden aims to further develop networked care for hand and wrist trauma — in close collaboration with plastic surgeons, trauma surgeons, rehabilitation physicians, physiotherapists, psychologists, and hand therapists. 'By better coordinating care moments, we can deliver faster, safer, and more personalized care. That benefits both the patient and society.'
Career
Brigitte van der Heijden studied General Psychology, Occupational and Organizational Psychology (cum laude), and Medicine (cum laude). She earned her PhD in 1999 in Utrecht with her dissertation titled: Preservation strategies for isolated skeletal muscles. After training as a general surgeon at the Diakonessenhuis and as a plastic surgeon at UMC Utrecht, she began working as a plastic surgeon at the Jeroen Bosch Hospital (JBZ) in 2005. Since 2019, she has also worked at Radboudumc.
For ten years, Van der Heijden was a board member of the Dutch Society for Surgery of the Hand (NVvH), serving as chair for the last two years; she is now an honorary member. In addition, she is president of the Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand (FESSH). Her appointment as a special professor has been funded by the JBZ and commenced on November 1, 2025, for a period of three years.
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