Loes Willems is a PhD candidate in vascular surgery at the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She specializes in antithrombotic therapy in peripheral arterial disease and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, developed an additional special interest in the cardiovascular risk of patients recovered from COVID-19. Before starting a PhD trajectory in January 2020, Loes finished the study of medicine at the Radboud University, and worked as a medical doctor at the department of surgery for 18 months. Loes is a passionate and assertive medical doctor and researcher with no reluctance for challenges. Her professional goals are to become excellent in vascular surgery, both in the scientific and clinical field. In her free time she loves to spend time with friends and to brighten op local social events by playing the saxophone with her music group.