Organizing Committee Member
Laura de Graaff
Doctor
Erasmus Medical Centre
Netherlands
Biography
Dr. de Graaff works as consultant Internal Medicine-Endocrinology at Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Leiden in 2001. She finished her PhD in 2008, based on genetic studies in patients with congenital hypothalamic and/or pituitary disorders. After her medical training, in 2015, she launched a multidisciplinary outpatients clinic (OPC) for adults with Rare (endocrine) Genetic Syndromes (ReGS). Its multidisciplinary team takes care of adults from five national reference centers: • Expert Center Prader-Willi Syndrome • Expert Center Rare Growth Disorders • Expert Center Disorders of Sex Development • Expert Center Turner Syndrome • Expert Center for Neurodevelopmental disorders ENCORE The aim of the OPC is to improve quality of care for adults with ReGS by treating and investigating health problems in these adult patients. This is extremely important as life expectancy in children with these syndromes used to be limited. Due to improved pediatric care, these patients do reach adulthood nowadays. However, many doctors don’t know which problems to expect in adults with these syndromes, nor how to treat them. There are no guidelines for adults, in the majority of syndromes. By treating and investigating health problems in these adult patients, Dr. de Graaff aims to improve patient care for this vulnerable patient group. The ReGS-OPC is unique in the world of Internal Medicine and plays a key role in improving care for adults with Rare Genetic Syndromes. In order to help these patients during transition from pediatric to adult endocrinology, Dr. de Graaff also launched a Young Adult Clinic in 2016. She leads a research line involving clinical and fundamental studies in congenital pituitary and hypothalamic disorders, including Prader-Willi syndrome. The above mentioned centers of Reference are part of international networks like the Endo-ERN and ERN-ITHACA (Intellectual Disability and Congenital Malformations).
Research Area
Internal Medicine-Endocrinology