Hemostasis Today

Katja van den Hurk: Optimizing Iron Management in Blood Donors
May 31, 2026, 02:42

Katja van den Hurk: Optimizing Iron Management in Blood Donors

Katja van den Hurk, Head of Donor Studies at Sanquin, shared a post on LinkedIn:

”In one month, Amber Meulenbeld will be defending her thesis at the University of Amsterdam!

I am so proud of her work and thrilled to have the honor of being her promotor, together with Dorine Swinkels and Irene van Valkengoed and of course Mart Janssen PhD in our loving memory.

What an incredibly exciting journey this has been!

Amber’s thesis aims to optimize iron management in blood donors, focusing on donor health and blood supply, through exploring donor perceptions and experiences, data-driven policy development, and policy evaluation through large randomized trials (FIND’EM, FORTE).

She concludes that both ferritin-guided donation intervals and iron supplementation are effective.

The optimal strategy depends on context, policy and should incorporate donor perceptions and experiences for a sustainable blood supply.”

Katja van den Hurk: Optimizing Iron Management in Blood Donors

Stay updated with Hemostasis Today.