Dr Marlous Grijsen
Contact information
Marlous Grijsen
Dermatovenereologist
Marlous Grijsen is a global health dermatologist, trained in the Netherlands and Tanzania, and a postdoc research fellow based at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia, since 2019. She holds a PhD in Medicine from the University of Amsterdam.
Her research to date focusses on the epidemiology, immunopathogenesis, diagnosis and management of endemic neglected tropical skin diseases in rural impoverished communities in Indonesia. Dr Grijsen is a lead Investigator of an ongoing phase 2 randomized trial evaluating metformin as adjunctive therapy in multibacillary leprosy, funded by the Leprosy Research Initiative and the Turing Foundation. Dr Grijsen leads a field study to assess the burden of neglected tropical skin diseases on the Island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia. She has also established teledermatology services for remote health clinics in Sumba, using a model for low-cost smart phone teledermatology, that may permit broader access to specialized dermatological care. She has a special interest in adopting participatory action research and community engagement to reduce the stigma that is often associated with skin diseases in local communities.
Skin diseases comprise one of the largest disease burdens worldwide affecting between 30-70% of the global population. In Indonesia, skin-related problems are a major public health concern, and include common and neglected tropical skin diseases, such as leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, scabies, headlice, mycetoma and yaws. Despite the profound impact on quality of life, skin diseases receive little attention, especially in poor, remote and under-resourced populations.
Key publications
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Metformin as adjunctive therapy in combination with multidrug treatment for multibacillary leprosy: A protocol for a randomized double-blind, controlled Phase 2 trial in Indonesia (MetLep Trial)
Krismawati H. et al, (2023), Wellcome Open Research, 8, 289 - 289
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Picturing health: the burden of leprosy in eastern Indonesia.
Pieter Y. and Grijsen ML., (2022), Lancet (London, England), 399, 1588 - 1599
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Scabies in monasteries in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
So T. et al, (2021), Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV, 35, e871 - e873
Recent publications
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Metformin as adjunctive therapy in combination with multidrug treatment for multibacillary leprosy: A protocol for a randomized double-blind, controlled Phase 2 trial in Indonesia (MetLep Trial)
Krismawati H. et al, (2023), Wellcome Open Research, 8, 289 - 289
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How persistent stigma and discrimination keep people with visible skin diseases out of jobs: vitiligo in Brazil today.
Silveira LP. et al, (2023), Lancet regional health. Americas, 23
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The unbreakable journey: using photovoice to raise awareness and fight leprosy stigma in Papua, Indonesia.
Dien R. et al, (2023), The British journal of dermatology, 188, 794 - 796
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Picturing health: the burden of leprosy in eastern Indonesia.
Pieter Y. and Grijsen ML., (2022), Lancet (London, England), 399, 1588 - 1599
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Gustatory Hyperhidrosis.
Grijsen ML. and van Zuuren EJ., (2021), JAMA dermatology, 157