From lab to standards committee: how Mieke De Wilde makes a difference

When you hear Mieke De Wilde talk about her work, above all you hear passion. Passion for science, for biobanks, but also for standards development. For years she has been involved as an expert in a technical committee that collaborates on international standards for biobanks. And she does not do this lightly: "We have actually been able to raise the quality of an entire domain to a higher level. That was really nice."

From scientist to standards expert

Mieke De Wilde started her career as a biologist, delving into biological psychology and plant physiology. When she became involved in the establishment of an oncological biobank, it was the beginning of a journey that brought her ever closer to standards development. Today, with European funding, she supports biobanks throughout Belgium in improving their operations, using ISO 20387 as a guide.

"That standard is actually a kind of mothership: there are a lot of technical aspects under it," she explains. "My position just revolves around helping Belgian biobanks implement ISO 20387 and working with BELAC to see if we can give them accreditation as well."

The power of collaboration

Her first step into standards development came unexpectedly. "At first I thought: I don't know as much about it as others. I really can't sign up." But a chance meeting with an expert changed that. "She said, 'We're still looking for people with lab experience. Aren't you comfortable with that?' That was actually a great match."

Mieke quickly discovered that the added value of standards development lies precisely in the diversity of the group. "As a professional, you learn not only from experts from other countries and cultures, but also from other perspectives. It's super interesting to know how someone from an accreditation office looks at a text, or a producer of goods or services. That interaction is really enriching."

Working toward a standard: how does it work?

Through the Belgian platform, she was able to access documents under development and provide feedback on them. "You also see the comments of other experts from other countries. And then invitations come for meetings. For corona, these were mainly physical meetings, with one big plenary per year, and intermediate working group meetings."

Mieke made a deep commitment: "For some documents, I indicated that I really wanted to participate. We are now working on a systematic review of ISO 20387. That requires regular consultations and in-depth discussions."

And yes, those meetings can be long. "Sometimes those are three-hour meetings where you really have to stay focused. But you choose your level of involvement. You can also just follow along and give input without getting all caught up in the details."

The impact of an expert

The standard Mieke co-wrote - ISO 20387 - was a true pioneer standard. "There were already best practices, WHO and CD guidelines, and so on. But with ISO 20387 we structured all that and raised it to the level of an international standard. It leans heavily in structure to ISO 17025 [for clinical trial laboratories], but is adapted to the needs of biobanks."

Her contribution? "That's about little pieces where I put something in motion: 'Isn't it better to do it that way?' Sometimes that's actually how it comes in, and sometimes not. But even then you understand better why something is in the norm in a certain way. That way you really learn to understand the standard."

More than knowledge alone

What does she herself get out of that experience? "Professionally, it's a huge benefit. You're at the source of where things are happening. As an organisation , you can anticipate, think along, and have a voice. Your knowledge becomes gigantic. Not only technically around the standard, but also in terms of negotiation, consultation, and communication."

In addition, it provides a valuable network. "I also volunteer in a number of scientific organizations. Spreading the knowledge of what we do at ISO to the whole field, that's just really nice. But it's an interaction: I also get questions from those organizations and I take that back into that standards development. And even more essential: my job would never have come about if it weren't for this standard."

Cooperation with NBN

She calls the cooperation with NBN smooth and supportive. "In the beginning it was rather administrative through the Belgian platform, but now I work more closely with them. If I have questions about how to set up a workshop or how best to let people give feedback on a design, I get quick and good answers. That's always nice."

She also found the"Experts Training" she attended at NBN on how to write standards particularly valuable. "I learned a lot from that."

A call to new experts

For anyone hesitating to join a standards committee, Mieke has a clear message: "Just do it! It's an enrichment anyway. And if you find after a year that it's not for you, that's not a problem at all."

She emphasizes that most experts stay because they get so much out of it - professionally and personally. "You sit together with people from your own country as well as from other parts of the world. Each with a different background. That broadens your view enormously."

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