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My name is Chantal Bleeker-Rovers. Almost fifty years ago I was born in the small town of Veghel, in North-Brabant. I work as an internist specialized in Infectious Diseases at the Department of Internal Medicine where I combine patient care, research, outbreak management, and teaching.
Where do you live and with whom?
I lived in Nijmegen for 18 years, but moved back to Veghel when my husband found a job there as an internist specialized in Nephrology. I live there with my husband Michiel, my 19-year-old son Alex, my 16-year-old daughter Eva, our two dogs and a crazy cat.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your childhood years?
When I was a kid I knew for certain that I wanted to become a veterinarian. I have loved animals as long as I can remember. Unfortunately my parents didn’t really like pets all that much, so I spent a lot of time at my uncle’s horse stables and when I was a little older I started a successful dog walking service in our neighbourhood. It wasn’t until the last months before I had to register for university courses that I switched to medicine instead. I have no regrets, and my work in zoonosis and interest in the One Health concept probably still has something to do with my former plan to become a veterinarian.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I studied medicine at the Radboud University where I started doing research during my internships. In 1996 ,when Mihai Netea had just recently moved to the Netherlands, we both worked in the immunology lab led by Jos van der Meer. After I finished my research project and my internships, I was offered a job in the Internal Medicine training program. I really liked the program, and I had the opportunity to start my PhD project during its last year. I spent my years as a PhD student at the Department of Nuclear Medicine. Spending some time away from my own specialty was very interesting. I met a lot of new people and got to learn a lot about imaging which after all those years is still very useful in my current work in patient care as well as in research.
Which of your research discoveries are you most proud of?
There is not one discovery I am most proud of, but I am proud that the results of several clinical studies that we did over the past years have resulted in a change in daily clinical practice, for example the use of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in S. aureus bacteremia and suspected chronic Q fever. My work on fever of unknown origin and Q fever has resulted in an invitation to write the respective chapters in Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, which was a great honor.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
I am afraid that “long COVID” is going to be a real and long-lasting problem for many people. During an outbreak there is a lot of interest in improving diagnosis and treatment of the acute infection, but when the outbreak is over many researchers of course return to their original research topics and not many remain interested in understanding the pathophysiology of chronic complaints such as fatigue or its treatment. I think this will be an important challenge, just like it has been and still is in Q fever fatigue syndrome even 10 years after the outbreak ended.
If you could choose any mentor, who would it be?
I have had several mentors that have all been very important for my development both as a doctor and as a researcher. Prof. dr. Jos van der Meer has always believed in me, starting early during my internships. He stimulated me to push further, let me follow my own path, and has been there for me when I really needed him. Without his support I wouldn’t be where I am today and I will always be grateful for that. So if I could choose I would choose Jos to be my mentor all over again.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
That’s an easy one for me: patients. My research is mostly clinical or translational, but I try to find the connection with the lab in the more immunological part of my research such as the immunological process in both Q fever fatigue syndrome and chronic Q fever. Conversely, the PANDEM-2 EU project on pandemic preparedness focuses more on the population. So my research work is very broad-based, which is something others often consider to be a risk.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
Less competition and more collaboration between research groups.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
I don’t really like to be woken up during the night, but once every six weeks I am on call as chair of the crisis policy team for one week. When there is a crisis, such as a suspected Ebola case, an accident with many casualties, a fire, or a large ICT problem affecting patient care I get a call from the crisis coordinator. Such a call has me ready to go in no time.
What is the thing that irritates you most?
When someone judges you without showing enough interest to know what’s really going on.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
I haven’t been home a lot during this past year, so I would just really like to have dinner with my family and friends, all together at a long table, relaxing and having time to catch up. I would also like to have dinner with my PhD students and fellow Q fever researchers from Utrecht and Den Bosch again. Before COVID-19 we went to several international scientific meetings where we would have a lot of fun together, for example when we were in the hospital of prof. Didier Raoult and we had to eat the typical food from Marseille including sheep’s stomach and other quite distasteful dishes. During these trips many of our best research ideas found their origin.
How do you relax from the demanding job of being a scientist?
The best way for me to relax, especially during these demanding times where I also lead the crisis team for the organization of COVID care and the team that organizes the vaccination policy in our hospital, is to ride my horse or to walk my dogs. Being outside with them really helps me to forget everything else for a while. Animals help you live in the moment and they’re always happy to be with you.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Follow your own path, there are many ways in which you can both become successful and happy. And find a mentor that believes in you. Everyone needs some help along the way.
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
This picture was taken during an international Q fever meeting in Switzerland. Teske Schoffelen en Stephan Keijmel were the first PhD students on Q fever research. They have finished their projects and are now both fellows in Infectious Diseases. During this trip to Switzerland we have made many important connections, but it also resulted in friendships that make working and doing research more fun.
