Discover the DNA of… Hannah Monsuur

GenDx is a global leader in molecular diagnostics for matching stem cell transplant patients with donors, and monitor success of transplantation. Our team consists of specialists, strategists, technicians, developers and creatives, all with different competences but with the same drive: to improve the quality of life of transplant patients worldwide. In our blog Discover our DNA, we like to introduce you to the people behind GenDx. This time we are happy to introduce our colleague:  Hannah Monsuur

Hannah in a few words
Caring, creative, friendly, good-humored

What position do you fulfill?
Technical Support & Education specialist
I help our customers by answering their technical questions, ranging from troubleshooting laboratory practices to NGS data analysis. Together with the rest of the technical support team I am also responsible for communicating customer needs within the organization. A big part of my work is providing education, either by providing extensive answers to support questions or by actively reaching out through webinars and training courses.

What motivates you in your work?
When you put in a lot of effort writing down an educational answer to a customer’s question and then receive their feedback which shows they grasped the concept, that is really satisfying.

What achievement are you most proud of (work related)?
Our biggest challenge last year was to get everything going despite the pandemic. Normally we host training events at our office and at the EFI/ASHI conferences. Due to COVID-19, these had to be replaced by online alternatives so we could keep training our customers and sharing our knowledge. We started this new challenge by hosting a series of webinars to replace the teaching session of the cancelled EFI conference. We increased the frequency of the webinars and then noticed that more and more people were joining  on a regular basis. The training courses, which normally included training in the lab, were replaced by online training events with videos to demonstrate the workflow in the lab. We have also been working on new training materials. I am proud of the Support and the Education team for being able to improve our services over the past year, despite the pandemic. When it is possible we would of course like to see everyone in real life again!

What is your passion, besides your work at GenDx?
Outside of work I enjoy going to the zoo with my niece or nephew, spending time in the garden watching my rabbits make funny jumps, going to a museum, having drinks with people; basically all kinds of activities with my family, friends and colleagues. Another thing I love to do is travelling. I have many good memories of faraway travels, but the past year I have also really enjoyed exploring our own little country, there is still so much to see!

What do people probably don’t know about you?
Since my work and also my personality cause me to be ‘inside my head’ a lot of the time, I like to counteract that. Over the years I have participated in painting classes, figure drawing classes, a French language course and pottery classes. Also swimming, cycling and practicing yoga keep me from thinking too much and bring me in the here and now.