Since June 2003, Laura Baijens has been an ENT specialist and staff member in the Department of Otolaryngology at Maastricht UMC+. Her primary area of focus is oropharyngeal dysphagia (diagnostics and treatment). She coordinates the multidisciplinary dysphagia clinic, a collaboration between the departments of ENT, speech therapy, and radiology, established in 2007.

At the multidisciplinary clinic, patients’ swallowing disorders are analyzed during a one-day assessment, followed by a therapeutic recommendation. Standardized measurements collected in the clinic’s database contribute to various PhD research projects, including studies on myotonic dystrophy.

She is the chair of the guideline committee for the diagnostics and treatment of swallowing disorders of the Dutch Society for Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, a guideline developed in collaboration with Spierziekten Nederland. Additionally, she serves as a board member of the European Society for Swallowing Disorders and is an active member of the Dysphagia Research Society Awards and Scholarship Committee in the United States, responsible for grant allocations.