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Social and economic background influences survival in intensive care: Research with societal impact

Social and economic background influences survival in intensive care: Research with societal impact

18 August 2026

A large-scale study by researchers from Maastricht UMC+ and Amsterdam UMC demonstrates that lower socioeconomic status (SES) of patients admitted to Dutch intensive care units contributes to worse survival.

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Fatma Karapinar appointed as Professor in Medication Safety

Fatma Karapinar appointed as Professor in Medication Safety

12 August 2026

As of 1 June 2026, Dr Fatma Karapinar has been appointed Professor of Medication Safety at Maastricht University.

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Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Claudia Schönichen

Post doc

Claudia Schönischen is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biochemistry at Maastricht University. Claudia studied Technical and Molecular Medicine at Furtwangen University and obtained my MSc in Molecular Medicine from the University of Freiburg, Germany. During her studies, she gained working experience in academic and industry settings, including the University of Freiburg, Roche in Switzerland, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2025 Claudia completed her PhD within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Joint Doctorate TICARDIO at Maastricht University and the University Medical Center Mainz. Her doctoral research focused on platelets at the interface of vascular inflammation and coagulation, particularly on platelet interactions with endothelial and immune cells. During her PhD, she also served as an Early-Stage Researcher representative within the TICARDIO network.

Claudia is a member of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) and has presented her research at national and international conferences, receiving early-career presentation and travel awards. Alongside her research, she is involved in teaching and student supervision, as well as scientific outreach and public engagement activities.

Claudia her current research focuses on understanding how platelets and their precursor cells, megakaryocytes, are altered in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF is a heterogeneous cardiovascular disease strongly associated with metabolic and inflammatory comorbidities, yet the mechanisms linking these systemic changes to vascular dysfunction remain incompletely understood.

In 2026, Claudia is awarded a Dekker postdoctoral grant from the Dutch Heart Foundation to investigate how the metabolic and inflammatory environment in HFpEF affects megakaryocyte and platelet biology. Her project combines detailed platelet phenotyping in patients with the study of megakaryocytes and mechanistic experiments using cell and vascular models. By integrating patient-derived samples with molecular, cellular and functional approaches, she aims to understand how altered platelet production and function may contribute to cardiovascular pathology in HFpEF.

Claudia her long-term research goal is to understand how systemic disease environments reshape megakaryocyte and platelet biology and how these changes contribute to cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, she aims to translate mechanistic insights into biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies that enable more targeted and personalized treatment.

Department of Biochemistry 
Universiteitssingel 50

  • 2025
    • Hoornstra, I. M. S., Zhao, J., Middelveld, H., Sun, S., Schönichen, C., Heemskerk, J. W. M., Stragier, H., Heylen, R., de Laat, B., & Roest, M. (2025). Procoagulant off-target effect of the direct oral anticoagulant reversal agent Andexanet alfa. Blood Vessels, Thrombosis & Hemostasis, 2(4), Article 100100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bvth.2025.100100
  • 2024
    • Schoenichen, C., Sun, S., Middelveld, H., Huskens, D., de Groot, P. G., Heemskerk, J. W. M., Roest, M., & de Laat, B. (2024). Functionally distinct anticoagulant mechanisms of endothelial cells. Thrombosis Research, 244, Article 109208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.thromres.2024.109208
    • Zou, J., Zhang, P., Solari, F. A., Schönichen, C., Provenzale, I., Mattheij, N. J. A., Kuijpers, M. J. E., Rauch, J. S., Swieringa, F., Sickmann, A., Zieger, B., Jurk, K., & Heemskerk, J. W. M. (2024). Suppressed ORAI1-STIM1-dependent Ca2+ entry by protein kinase C isoforms regulating platelet procoagulant activity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300(12), Article 107899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107899
    • Provenzale, I., Solari, F. A., Schoenichen, C., Brouns, S. L. N., Fernandez, D. I., Kuijpers, M. J. E., van Der Meijden, P. E. J., Gibbins, J. M., Sickmann, A., Jones, C., & Heemskerk, J. W. M. (2024). Endothelium-mediated regulation of platelet activation: Involvement of multiple protein kinases. Faseb Journal, 38(4), Article e23468. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202300360RR
  • 2023
    • Schönichen, C., Montague, S. J., Brouns, S. L. N., Burston, J. J., Cosemans, J. M. E. M., Jurk, K., Kehrel, B. E., Koenen, R. R., Ní Áinle, F., O'Donnell, V. B., Soehnlein, O., Watson, S. P., Kuijpers, M. J. E., Heemskerk, J. W. M., & Nagy, M. (2023). Antagonistic Roles of Human Platelet Integrin αiIbβ3 and Chemokines in Regulating Neutrophil Activation and Fate on Arterial Thrombi under Flow. Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 43(9), 1700-1712. https://doi.org/10.1161/ATVBAHA.122.318767
    • Akbalut, C., Arisz, R., Baaten, C., Baildildinova, G., Barakzie, A., Bauersachs, R., Ten Berg, J. M., van den Broek, W., de Boer, H. C., Broker, V., Buka, R., Ten Cate, H., Cate, A. T., De Luca, C., De Simone, I., Dignat-George, F., Freson, K., Gazzaniga, G., van Gorp, E., ... van Zonneveld, A.-J. (2023). Blood coagulation and beyond: Position paper from the Fourth Maastricht Consensus Conference on Thrombosis. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 123(8), 808-839. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2052-9175
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