Dr Marlous Grijsen is a global health dermatologist with a diverse background in medical training and research. Trained in the Netherlands and Tanzania, she has been working as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Indonesia in Jakarta since 2019, after earning her PhD in Medicine from the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on addressing the complex challenges presented by endemic neglected tropical skin diseases within Indonesia’s rural and impoverished communities. 

In her research, Dr Grijsen explores the epidemiology, immunopathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of skin-NTDs, actively leading a phase 2 randomized trial to investigate the efficacy of adjunctive metformin in combination with standard multi-drug therapy in multibacillary leprosy to mitigate leprosy reactions (MetLep Trial, NCT05243654). This study is financially supported by the Leprosy Research Initiative and the Turing Foundation. Additionally, Dr Grijsen oversees a surveillance study on the island of Sumba to evaluate the burden of common and neglected skin diseases and has implemented a low-cost smartphone-based teledermatology service to improve access to specialized dermatological care in remote areas. Through her work, Dr. Grijsen aims to enhance healthcare delivery and reduce the stigma associated with skin-NTDs, employing participatory action research and community engagement strategies to achieve these goals.