Dr. Stephanie O. Breukink has worked as a bowel surgeon at Maastricht UMC+ since 2009 and is now an associate professor. She also has more than 90 international publications to her name. In 1998 she obtained her medical degree from the University of Groningen. In 2006, she obtained her PhD with the thesis: 'Laparoscopic Total Mesorectal Excision for rectal cancer', in which she conducted research into the quality of life of patients with rectal cancer who had undergone laparoscopic surgery. For this work she was awarded the “Schoemaker Prize 2006” for the best surgical dissertation that year.
She then worked in Adelaide, Australia for two years. There she mainly focused on the various surgical treatments for patients with bowel problems due to cancer or non-malignant bowel disorders. In 2009 she returned to the Netherlands and has since worked on the staff of the Department of Surgery at MUMC+.
Her main interest is improving the quality of life of patients with bowel diseases. It is known that patients with colon cancer often continue to have problems after their treatment. Dr. Breukink is looking at how she can best treat these problems.
She also deals with common benign disorders of the intestines and anus. She also draws up international guidelines for patients with hemorrhoids or fistulas around the anus. She conducts extensive research to find solutions for patients who suffer from involuntary stool loss or intestinal blockage.
In addition to her work in the hospital, she teaches medical students and doctors training to become surgeons, and she supervises several young researchers.