After obtaining her medical degree at Utrecht University, Anneloes specialized in Global Health and Tropical Medicine. During her work as a Global Health doctor in Sierra Leone and Tanzania she learned about the need for training and research in global surgery. Anneloes worked at the surgical department of Haydom Lutheran Hospital. During that time, she collaborated with local doctors and medical workers to set up a research project on lower extremity fractures that has evolved into her PhD dissertation.

‘In Haydom, I was involved in providing care for trauma patients. We started a research project on open tibial fractures, but soon my attention was drawn to patients with a hip fracture, for whom very limited treatment options were available. Hip fractures are an underreported health problem in Tanzania, and sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. Surgical care for these patients is very limited, leading to high rates of disability and mortality. My PhD project is about hip fractures in Tanzania, focussing on access to outcome of care. I wish to increase awareness to address this serious health issue in global surgery.’