Specialization
Psychiatric epidemiology
Focus of research
My research aim is to contribute to improved, personalized treatment for depression, through research on (treatment of) immuno-metabolic depression & application of ambulatory measurements therein.
The concept of immuno-metabolic depression started with my 2010 publication on depression subtypes in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, and has led to a solid line of research on this form of depression, that is characterized by atypical, energy-related symptoms and inflammation and metabolic dysregulation. In 2010, I was awarded an NWO Rubicon fellowship to conduct research on depression subtypes at the National Institute of Mental Health, USA with dr. K. Merikangas. In 2013 I returned to Amsterdam supported by a EU-FP7 Marie Curie Career Integration Grant where I continued my work on depression subtypes and immuno-metabolic depression (IMD). I am currently PI of the PERCIM project, where we are evaluating personalized treatment options for IMD as well as the INFLAMED study, an RCT on add-on Celecoxib for immune-metabolic depression.
At the NIMH, I also learned about ambulatory assessments, such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and actigraphy. Upon my return to Amsterdam, I contributed to the implementation of EMA and actigraphy in the Netherlands Study on Depression and Anxiety. I have been coördinating the Dutch arm of the RADAR-CNS depression study, that employed ambulatory assessments, including EMA, passive smartphone apps and actigraphy to monitor depression in an effort to identify signals that could indicate a relapse. Data of this project is currently being analysed. In addition, I am part of the NWO Gravitation project Stress in Action. This 10-year program will capitalize on the fast advances in technology and big data analytics to move stress research from the lab to daily life. I am currently also on the Executive Board of Stress in Action.
Besides being passionate about research, I have a keen interest in teaching and training. My teaching aim is to bring training of young academics to the highest level, by creating an optimal training atmosphere and setting to conduct research according to the highest standards.
Twitter account: @LamersFemke