Suzanne (S.F.) Fustolo-Gunnink MD PhD

Training

2017-2018	Epidemiologist B training at Leiden University Medical Center
2004-2012	Medical school, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

 

Thesis

31 January 2020 'Not all that glitters is gold – platelet transfusions for preterm neonates' , University of Amsterdam  

Research interests

The aim of my research is to generate clinical evidence to support clinicians when they make transfusion decisions for premature infants. This population is highly transfused, but evidence to inform practice is lacking, and there is increasing concern about transfusion safety. We perform large, high quality epidemiological studies both nationally and internationally.

I’m particularly interested in how evidence to practice translation occurs in the setting of little or low quality evidence, how this relates to variation in practice, and whether a complexity science perspective could provide meaningful insights and tools. This is the topic of my policy fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam (2024). 

I’m also keen on collaboration, because the neonatal population is small, but also because we can learn a lot from each other. To support this, I co-founded the Neonatal Transfusion Network.

Lastly, I participate in more translational projects looking into mechanisms of transfusion-related harm or the development of new transfusion products tailored to preterm infants.

Technology

• clinical epidemiology
• clinical transfusion research

Experience with

• clinical trials
• prediction modeling
• analyzing variation in practice
• systematic reviews
• guideline development.

Resume

2024-present	Group leader of the clinical neonatal transfusion research group
2023-present	Policy fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam
2021-2024	Junior group leader of the clinical neonatal transfusion research group
2020-2021	Post doc at the Dept of Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Research
2013-2020	PhD student at the Dept of Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Research
2012-2013	Pediatrics intern at Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede
2011-2012	Research internship Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
2004-2012	Medicine (University of Groningen)

     

    

Selected papers

Houben NAM, Fustolo-Gunnink SF, Fijnvandraat CJ, Caram-Deelder C, Aguar Carrascosa M et al. Red Blood Cell Transfusion in European Neonatal Intensive Care Units. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2434077.

Suzanne F. Fustolo-Gunnink, Willem P. de Boode, Olaf M. Dekkers, Gorm Greisen, Enrico Lopriore, and Federica Russo. If things were simple, word would have gotten around. - Can complexity theory help us improve pediatric research? [preprint]   

Deschmann E, Dame C, Sola-Visner M, Fustolo-Gunnink SF, ea. Clinical Practice Guideline for Red Blood Cell Transfusion Thresholds in Preterm Neonates. JAMA Netw Open 2024;7(6):e2417431.

Van der Staaij H, Stanworth SJ and Fustolo-Gunnink SF. Prophylactic platelet transfusions: why less is more. Clinics in Perinatology. 2023 Dec;50(4):775-792

Moore CM, D’Amore A, Fustolo-Gunnink SF, et al. Two-year outcomes following a randomised platelet transfusion trial in preterm infants. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2023 Sep;108(5):452-457.

Scrivens A, Reibel NJ, Heeger L, (…), and Fustolo-Gunnink SF; Neonatal Transfusion Network. Survey of transfusion practices in preterm infants in Europe. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2023 Jan 18. Epub ahead of print.

Susanna F Fustolo-Gunnink, Karin Fijnvandraat, D. van Klaveren, S Stanworth, Anna Curley et al. Preterm neonates benefit from low prophylactic platelet transfusion threshold despite varying risk of bleeding or death. Blood. 2019 Dec 26;134(26):2354-2360.

SF Fustolo-Gunnink, E.J. Huijssen-Huisman, K Fijnvandraat, F.M.A. van Hout, S. Makineli, E Lopriore, et al. Are platelet count and platelet transfusions associated with major bleeding in preterm neonates-  A systematic review. Blood Reviews. 2019 Jul;36:1-9.

Anna Curley, Simon J Stanworth (joint first authors), Karen Willoughby, Susanna F Fustolo-Gunnink et al. A Randomized Trial of Neonatal Platelet Transfusion Thresholds. New England Journal of Medicine. 2018 Nov 2.      

          

 

Other activities

• Steering board member of the Neonatal Transfusion Network
• Chair of the European Society for Pediatric Research special interest group on Neonatal Hematology
• International Society of Blood Transfusion – Clinical Transfusion working package – pediatric transfusion subgroup member.
• Bloodnet – pediatric critical care blood research network member.
• Neonatologie Netwerk Nederland (N3) member
• Conect 4 children (collaborative network for European clinical trials for children) - Innovative methodology experts group member
• Alumna of the Dutch Training Upcoming Leaders In Pediatric Science (TULIPS) postdoc curriculum 2020-2022.