Dr. Annette Sander completed her medical studies at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and in Nantes/France as part of an Erasmus exchange program. She also gained practical experience during stays abroad in Zimbabwe, Switzerland and the USA.
After completing her studies, Dr. Sander began her specialist training at the MHH Children's Hospital in Hanover in 1998. In 2000, Dr. Sander completed her doctorate on the topic of GVHD prophylaxis with the IL-2 receptor antibody BT563 after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. As part of her further training as a pediatrician, Dr. Sander received extensive training in pediatric intensive care medicine and pediatric cardiology in addition to her focus on pediatric oncology, including blood stem cell and bone marrow transplantation. She passed her specialist examination at the end of 2003. This was followed in 2006 by the acquisition of the specialist qualification in pediatric haematology-oncology and in 2008 the additional qualification in palliative medicine.
Between 2006 and 2012, Dr. Sander worked as a study physician at the AML-BFM study center for acute myeloid leukemia in children and was entrusted with the morphological and immunophenotypic reference assessment of blood and bone marrow samples as well as advising study clinics and all areas of study planning, preparation and implementation.
In addition, she set up the Pediatric Palliative and Bridge Team at the MHH Children's Hospital with the aim of improving the transition from inpatient to home care, especially in the palliative situation, which she has headed since April 2009. The project is funded by the Verein für Krebskranke Kinder Hannover e.V. (Hanover Association for Children with Cancer). At the same time, Dr. Sander was involved in the development of a concept for the establishment of nationwide specialized outpatient palliative care for children, adolescents and young adults in Lower Saxony and founded the Pediatric Palliative-AG Lower Saxony. Since April 2010, she has been the medical director of the Lower Saxony-wide pediatric palliative care team under the umbrella of the Lower Saxony Care Network for the Care of Seriously Ill Children. As a member of an expert group and project advisory board appointed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Dr. Sander is also committed to the further development of hospice and palliative care in Lower Saxony.
Dr. Sander has been head of the outpatient paediatric haematology and oncology department with various specialist consultations since 2012. Her own focus is currently on hematology and oncological aftercare.
Another clinical focus is the development of new care structures at the transition from inpatient to home care. Under the direction of Dr. Sander and in close cooperation with the Netzwerk für die Versorgung schwerkranker Kinder Niedersachsen e.V., a socio-medical aftercare facility was set up at the MHH Children's Hospital, which works according to the Bunter Kreis concept and has been an accredited member of the Bunter Kreis quality association since 2014.
Dr. Sander is also involved in recording the late effects of oncological treatment, particularly with regard to psychosocial and neuropsychological residual effects. There is cooperation here with neuropaediatrics and the network for oncological specialist advice. An additional area of interest is the organization of the transition from paediatric to internal medical care.