In addition to over 450 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals (86 as first author), many letters to journal editors, 38 book chapters, and editing five textbooks, Dr. van der Heijde has been intensely involved in the OMERACT process. She has attended each conference from its beginnings in 1992 in Maastricht (except for one when she gave birth to her second daughter). A member of the OMERACT steering group since 2004, she has chaired numerous subcommittee working groups, from the Imaging Working Group on Plain Films, to one on scoring methods for MRI of the sacroiliac joints and spine, to one on biomarkers of outcome measures in RA. In 2010, in Borneo, she was one of the organizers of the Sharp symposium as part of OMERACT.
She works tirelessly to refine clinical trial methodologies, and sees challenges ahead. Most researchers point to the challenges posed by raising funds, but Dr. van der Heijde also foresees a need to develop new trial designs that will make it possible to show efficacy of future treatments. Part of the problem, she says, is that, “it’s more and more difficult to find the correct patients for clinical trials, especially in the Western world.” Of course, that’s a good sign, because treatments have improved so much. Adaptive trial design might be one innovation that would allow comparability of treatments. To do this, she says, will require convincing regulatory agencies to accept new ways of trial design, comparators, and analyses. A veteran of the collaborative process, Dr. van der Heijde will likely be among those to keep driving the field forward. For, as she well knows, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” (Seneca).
Gretchen Henkel is writing the “Metrics in Rheumatology” series.
Timeline
- 1984 –•Earns her MD from Catholic University Nijmegen
- 1991 –•Earns her PhD
- 1993 – Becomes medical advisor in rheumatology at Kabi Pharmacia AB
- 1994 –•Becomes assistant professor in rheumatology at the University Hospital Maastricht
- 1998 –•Becomes associate professor in rheumatology at the University Hospital Maastricht
- 2000 –•Becomes guest professor in rheumatology at Limburg University Center in Diepenbeek, Belgium
- 2001 –•Becomes professor in outcome assessment in musculoskeletal disorders at Maastricht University
- 2004 –•Becomes a member of the OMERACT steering group
- 2007 –•Becomes senior researcher at Diakonhjemmet Hospital
- 2007 –•Becomes professor in rheumatology at Leiden University Medical Center
References
- van der Heijde DMFM, van ‘t Hof MA, van Riel PLCM, van Leeuwen MA, van Rijswijk MH, van de Putte LBA. A comparison of validity of single variables and composed indices for measuring disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1992;51:177-181.
- van der Heijde DMFM, van Riel PLCM, Nuver Zwart HH, Gribnau FWJ, van de Putte LBA. Effects of hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine on progression of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet. 1989;1:1036-1038.
- Lipsky P, van der Heijde D, St. Clair EW, et al, for the Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Trial in Rheumatoid Arthritis with Concomitant Therapy Study Group. Infliximab and methotrexate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. New Engl J Med. 2000;343:1594-1602.
- Davis J, van der Heijde D, Braun J, et al, for the Enbrel Ankylosing Spondylitis Study Group. Recombinant human tumor necrosis factor receptor (etanercept) for treating ankylosing spondylitis, a randomized, controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2003;48:3230-3236.
- Sharp J, van der Heijde D, Boers M, et al, for the Subcommittee on Healing of Erosions of the OMERACT Imaging Committee. Repair of erosions in rheumatoid arthritis does occur: Results from two studies by the OMERACT subcommittee on healing of erosions. J Rheumatol. 2003; 30:1102-1107.