26/05/2026
"Purpose, people, and technology. From the start, it just felt right." - Christine Swinkels, Clinical Communications Specialist at Salvia
Christine Swinkels doesn't fit into one box.
When she studied chemical engineering, it wasn't because she had always dreamed of it. Growing up, her heart was in the arts. But her father, an engineer himself, encouraged her to choose a technical path. She did. "It challenged me enormously," she says. "But it gave me a way of thinking that I still use every day." Chemical engineering is demanding by design, and that rigor left a permanent mark. The creative side, though, never left her.
"I'm a technology enthusiast. Always. But I'm also creative."
That combination shaped her career. Working for several companies, she noticed a pattern: she was increasingly drawn to the intersection of technology and people, more motivated by making complex information clear and usable than by pure research.
"I wanted to stay with technology," she says. "But move closer toward helping others understand it."
Born in former Communist East Germany, Christine was seven when the Berlin Wall fell. Her parents had grown up with limited opportunities, worlds away from the innovation ecosystem she would later become part of.
At Brainport Development, the economic development agency for the Eindhoven region in the Netherlands, she was at the heart of the startup ecosystem, surrounded by big ideas and dreams for a better, healthier world. "It was amazing to be part of that," she says. "But I was always on the outside, helping turn dreams into change-making products without being part of the dream itself." Salvia had been on her radar for a while. Their mission and potential impact resonated strongly.
When the role of Clinical Communications Specialist became available, she didn't hesitate.
What draws her in isn't just the technology, it's the purpose behind it. "I want to make a difference and help people who need it most," she says; a drive that extends well beyond her working hours. She volunteers outside work, guided by the same belief: that everyone deserves support when they need it most.
Salvia's focus resonates deeply with her: people living with debilitating migraine who have exhausted so many available treatments, simply trying to reclaim their lives. For them, Salvia's therapy may open a door that seemed permanently closed.
Today, she collaborates closely with the clinical team, making sure patients and physicians in Salvia's clinical studies are informed and prepared. She is close to the science while telling Salvia's story to the outside world.
It's where purpose, people, and technology come together. And for someone who is both engineer and communicator, it's the sweet spot.
"I'm in a very good place."
