MSc
The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands
Catarina Simoes Padilla is a researcher currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Medical Oncology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI–AVL) in Amsterdam, and in the Department of Medical Oncology and Department of Public Health at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, under the supervision of Dr. Olga Husson, Dr. Margot Tesselaar, and Prof. Winette van der Graaf.
Her doctoral work centers on improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measurement strategies for patients with solid rare cancers —a field in which rigorous, patient-centered evaluation tools remain scarce and critically needed, and creating a strategy to better assess HRQoL in both clinical and research practice. As thee study coordinator for this EORTC-QLG (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer – Quality of Life Group) project which spans numerous countries and institutions across Europe, she works on both quantitative and qualitative data collection, ethics approvals, cross-site coordination, and methodological innovations. Currently, she is also an active member of the EORTC Quality of Life Group (QLG) and the Dutch Rare Cancer Platform (DRCP), where she contributes to mentorship programs and communications initiatives.
Before beginning her PhD, she built a strong multidisciplinary foundation: she holds a BSc in Psychology with a specialisation in Neuropsychology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2015-2019), and a MSc in Neuroscience and Cognition, Cognitive Neuroscience track from Utrecht University, the Netherlands (2020-2022).
She is passionate about creating a better HRQoL assessment for patients with a solid rare cancer, and improve patient experiences. She hopes to become a rising voice in the field of quality-of-life research in the field of solid rare cancers, contributing to the wider effort to bring the patient voice more centrally into clinical trials and practice.