Rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist Alfons den Broeder has been appointed professor by special appointment of Innovative treatment strategies in inflammatory rheumatic diseases at Radboudumc / Radboud University. He works as a rheumatologist at the Sint Maartenskliniek, making this chair a bridge between the two institutions. Through his research, Den Broeder aims to make rheumatology care more effective and cost-efficient by improving treatment strategies.
With his appointment, Den Broeder is committed to strengthening close collaboration between Radboud university medical center and the Sint Maartenskliniek. His research focuses on the smarter use of existing medications: more effective, less burdensome for patients, and at lower cost. By combining academic research, clinical practice, and large patient populations, he aims to contribute to sustainable rheumatology care with a direct impact on patients’ daily treatment.
The chair builds on an intensive collaboration in which Radboudumc and the Sint Maartenskliniek complement each other. ‘That combination is unique: we link the large patient populations we see at the Sint Maartenskliniek to academic research,’ says Den Broeder. He leads a large research group consisting of eight rheumatologists, two postdoctoral researchers, and approximately twelve PhD candidates. ‘We focus on inflammatory rheumatic diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, spondylarthritis, gout, and polymyalgia rheumatica, also known as muscular rheumatism.’
Efficient and cost-effective care
In his research theme, Den Broeder and his team focus on delivering efficient and cost-effective care, as many rheumatology medications are expensive. ‘We look at optimal dosing, tapering of medication, side effects, and cost-effectiveness. We do this through studies involving large patient groups. We not only assess whether a treatment works, but especially how it can be used as safe and efficiently as possible,’ says Den Broeder.
According to Den Broeder, this is a major societal challenge given the large number of patients. More than 180,000 people are treated by rheumatologists yearly in the Netherlands for inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. For gout – which is also treated by general practitioners -this number is 500,000 people. . Rheumatic conditions are often chronic and associated with high healthcare costs. By improving and simplifying treatments, Den Broeder aims to demonstrably contribute to better care. ‘I believe that, with the joint infrastructure of Radboudumc and the Sint Maartenskliniek, we have a strong foundation for this, with national and international collaborations and research that clearly feeds into guidelines and clinical practice, ultimately benefiting the patient.’
Career
Alfons den Broeder studied Medicine in Nijmegen. He first specialized as a rheumatologist and later as a clinical epidemiologist at Radboudumc in Nijmegen. He obtained his PhD in 2001 with research on anti-inflammatory treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (thesis title: ‘Anti-TNF-alpha treatment in rheumatoid arthritis’). In 2006, he joined the medical staff of the Sint Maartenskliniek, where, alongside his clinical work, he served for seven years as Head of the Rheumatology Department and established his own research group in close collaboration with Radboudumc. Since 2026, he has also been chair of the Dutch Society for Rheumatology. His appointment takes effect on 1 July for a period of five years.
-
Want to know more about these subjects? Click on the buttons below for more news.
