Physician-Researcher/Clinical PhD Oncological Surgery: Treatment of Stage IV Colorectal Carcinoma

As a physician, do you want to contribute to groundbreaking research into new treatment strategies for patients with stage IV colorectal carcinoma? In this PhD track at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, you will combine scientific research with the coordination of the PUMP-IT study under the supervision of surgeons Koert Kuhlmann and Niels Kok. Together with a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, medical oncologists, radiologists, and other researchers, you will work on improving the treatment and prognosis of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma. The intended start date of this PhD track is February 1, 2027. Have you become enthusiastic and do you want to bring your talent to us? Then we would love to meet you!

The PUMP-IT study (About the PUMP-IT study | AVL) is a large national phase 3 randomized study investigating whether treatment with chemotherapy via the hepatic arterial infusion pump (chemopump) in combination with systemic therapy improves survival compared to systemic therapy alone, the current standard of care. This is a multicenter study in which more than 20 hospitals in the Netherlands participate. The results of this study will determine whether the chemopump has a role in the standard treatment for this patient group and could change international guidelines. Read more about the PUMP-IT study here.

During this PhD track, you will be trained as an independent scientist and will work in a team of enthusiastic researchers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of stage IV colorectal carcinoma. As the study coordinator of the PUMP-IT study, you will work intensively with the principal investigators, the teams from the participating hospitals, and involved specialists such as surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiologists. Additionally, you will be the contact person for the parties involved, such as KWF, IKNL, the pharmaceutical company and supplier of the chemopump, and the colorectal cancer foundation. Your duties include:

• Coordinating the daily execution of the PUMP-IT study in multiple Dutch centers;

• Acting as a point of contact for patients, treatment teams, and external parties;

• Monitoring inclusion, planning, protocol compliance, data quality, and reporting;

• Setting up and performing (sub)analyses within the PhD track;

• Writing abstracts and manuscripts as the basis for a doctoral thesis;

• Presenting results within the AvL and at (inter)national congresses.

At the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, we all commit to the same goal: the best care for every patient and every type of cancer. That is no small feat. But not impossible. Here, science and care work together on innovation. Time and again, we find new ways that help people with cancer worldwide. Here we save lives, we win time and quality.

You are enthusiastic, accurate, structured, proactive, and work independently within a multidisciplinary setting. In addition, we ask of you:

• You are a graduated physician;

• You have an affinity with the execution and analysis of patient-related research;

• You can work well independently and take responsibility for your activities;

• You possess excellent social, organizational, and communicative skills and enjoy collaborating with different disciplines and research teams;

• You are flexible and know how to handle the dynamics of a national study;

• You have an excellent command of the Dutch and English languages.

We are curious about your talent. Will you make the difference in the world of cancer? Apply quickly via the application button!

This vacancy is open until Tuesday 24 November. The first interviews will take place in the week of 30 November. We kindly ask you to take this into account.
For more information about the position, you can contact drs. Elisa ter Kuile, the current physician-researcher on the project, at 0205129111 or by email (pump@nki.nl). You can also contact Dr. Koert Kuhlmann at 020-5129111.
For questions about the application procedure, you can contact Pascal van Kippersluis, Recruiter, at p.v.kippersluis@nki.nl.

A reference check is part of the application procedure. Candidates with whom we enter into a conversation will be asked to provide references.

Recruitment agencies are not appreciated in response to this vacancy.