J.C. (Jurgen) de Graaff, PhD

My research focuses on the improvement of perioperative care in children and the effect of anesthesia on the brain on the short and long term. Both database (retrospective and prospective) as well as clinical studies are being conducted, which ultimately aim to improve perioperative care in children. More specifically, to optimize neurodevelopmental outcome, which may be impacted by anesthesia. Hereto, I work together with various basic and clinical scientists of the Erasmus MC (Departments of Developmental and Experimental Psychology, and Social and Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, Pediatric Surgery, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Experimental Cardiology and Radiology) and other academic medical centers around the World: a.o. Delft, Utrecht, Groningen, Antwerpen, Leuven, Genoa, Geneve, Melbourne, Sidney, Philadelphia and Boston.

Locally, I’m the PI of the PIANO-study, aiming to develop a new intraoperative non-invasive monitor device to detect brain ischaemia by HFR Doppler CUS (with Pediatric Surgery, Cardiology, Delft). Furthermore, I’m the PI of a pilot study to unlock the database of OR, NICU and PICU (with NICU and Delft), and I’m part of the “Sharing the Brain” research initiative on link long-term-outcome to perioperative factors to improve patient outcome after major surgery for (congenital) deformities and on an international study on perioperative brain monitoring in patients undergoing diaphragmatic hernia and esophageal atresia repair. Furthermore, I’m the PI of the national setup of the follow-up of the GAS-study: TRix-SAFETY-kids consortium. In this consortium participating the department of anesthesia of 8 UMCU’s and the department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Surgery, Child Psychology, Pediatric Youth Psychiatry, and Radiology of the EMC.

Nationally, I’m working together with UMC Utrecht on the effect of artefacts in database studies and on the development of reference values for vital signs during anesthesia

Internationally, I’m involved in various international multicenter research projects (NECTARINE, MPOG, GAS-study, TREX-study, PeDi-Registry, isoelectric EEG events in infants) and one of the initiators of the Pediatric Perioperative Outcomes Group: Defining Core Outcomes for Pediatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine.

Pediatric anesthesiology

Epidemiology

Intra-operative monitoring

Long term outcome

Database research

I've obtained  my PhD at the Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam (2003) on the thesis entitled: “The use of microcirculatory techniques in the assessment of pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of critical limb ischemia”). I was trained at the St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein (2008) and became a staff (pediatric) anesthesiologist at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht (2009). I was a visiting researcher at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne (2012). Since 2016 I’m working at the  Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam.

A complete overview of publications can be found here: 

• Jurgen de Graaff

I've guided 6 PhD students and over 35 students with their MSc project.

I’m a regular invited speaker at national and international conferences, associate editor of Pediatric Anesthesia and a regular reviewer of various international scientific journal.

I’m a regular invited speaker at national and international conferences, associate editor of Pediatric Anesthesia and a regular reviewer of various international scientific journal.

Website: Pediatric anesthesia