Professor Swinkels is a professor in Experimental Clinical Chemistry at the Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She is trained as a medical doctor and a (bio)chemist and she specialized in Laboratory Medicine. Her research aims at a better understanding of iron metabolism, in particular the identification and characterization of novel factors that affect dysregulation of iron homeostasis in kidney diseases, and rare inherited iron disorders. Her specific expertise is in the translation of novel findings into diagnostic assays, therapeutic strategies and clinical guidelines that can be implemented in the clinic. She employs her expertise on optimal pre-analytical handling of human samples for future use, and as the laboratory manager of the Radboudumc to further professionalize its activities.
She participates in several international academic societies and committees in the field of hematology and biomedical iron research and development. In addition to these contributions to scientific research and its administration, she shows particular interest to transfer her knowledge and diagnostic tools to the scientific, clinical and pharmaceutical communities. Among others, she serves as a consultant to advise these communities on drug development to modulate iron disorders and the optimal use of iron biomarkers for clinical studies or trials. She is also engaged in teaching diagnostic medicine and translational research to students in medicine and biomedical sciences.