Spotlight on APH postdocs: Heleen HaspelsFor Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026, we highlight Heleen Haspels, a postdoctoral researcher at APH, working at the Department of Pediatrics, Amsterdam UMC. Heleen’s story shows how following your intuition and speaking up can shape a meaningful academic career.
Spotlight on APH postdocs: Fabio PorruFor Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026, we highlight Fabio Porru, a postdoctoral researcher at APH, working at the Department of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam UMC. Fabio’s story illustrates how social engagement and nurturing his passion help him build a meaningful academic career.
Spotlight on APH postdocs: Cansu Alözkan SeverFor Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026, we highlight Cansu Alözkan Sever, a postdoctoral researcher at APH, working at the Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). Her story shows how she leverages academic research to strengthen fieldwork and improve mental health support for refugees.
Spotlight on APH postdocs: Marlinde van DijkFor Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026, we highlight Marlinde van Dijk, postdoctoral researcher at APH, working at the Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC. Her story shows how a PhD idea can grow into a nationwide approach to lifestyle care, and how a postdoc journey can be both exciting and uncertain.
Pioneering adult ADHD care: from blind spot to global standardAPH researcher and psychiatrist Sandra Kooij has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between scientific discovery and clinical practice for adults with ADHD. Thanks to her determination, care for this group of patients has been fundamentally transformed in the Netherlands and far beyond.
Care for obesityThe Care for Obesity project, led by APH researcher Bibian van der Voorn, focuses on developing tools and materials that facilitate the implementation of an effective, accessible and sustainable, integrated approach to childhood overweight.
GEZIeN: A family-oriented approach to mental health careThe academic collaborative center GEZIeN aims to provide optimal mental health care for families. To promote, implement, and improve family-focused mental health care, GEZIeN was founded and is led by APH researcher Christel Middeldorp.
Bridging science and practice for healthy working lives in the NetherlandsAPH researcher Astrid de Wind launched together with HTC a new academic collaborative center which brings researchers and occupational health professionals together to use real-world data from occupational health services to improve both science and practice.
Spotlight on APH Postdocs: Marketa Ciharova’s storyFor Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025, we highlight APH postdoctoral researcher Marketa Ciharova, working at the Clinical Psychology department. Her journey is marked by innovation, resilience, and collaboration.
Spotlight on APH Postdocs: Carmen-Silva Sergiou's storyFor the Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025, we highlight APH postdoctoral researcher Carmen-Silva Sergiou. Her journey shows how combining neuroscience, forensic science, and technology can help create impact early in life, while also shaping her role as a supervisor and network builder.
Spotlight on APH Postdocs: Stefania Principe's storyFor the Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025, we highlight Stefania Principe, a second-year postdoctoral researcher at APH in pulmonology, whose journey reflects the courage, adaptability, and passion that define the postdoc experience.
Spotlight on APH Postdocs: Mariska de Wit's storyFor the Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025, we highlight Mariska de Wit, a postdoctoral researcher at APH. Her journey shows how curiosity, collaboration, and commitment to improving working life for people with chronic conditions can shape a meaningful postdoc experience.
Spotlight on APH Postdocs: Emma Twait’s storyFor Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025, we highlight APH postdoctoral researcher Emma Twait, working at the General Practice department. Her journey is marked by personal motivation, multidisciplinary research, and a commitment to collaboration and inclusion.
Spiegelaarmethode: A powerful and practical tool for improving primary careThe ‘Spiegelaarmethode’ offers general practitioners an accessible way to reflect on their work and engage in discussions with colleagues from their GP practice group. The project was developed within ANHA, the academic workplace of the General Practice department.
LOFIT: Integrating lifestyle medicine into hospital careAPH researcher Judith Jelsma founded LOFIT to integrate lifestyle medicine into secondary and tertiary care through a lifestyle front office. Here, lifestyle professionals discuss challenging lifestyle issues with patients and refer them to community-based lifestyle initiatives for further support.
EuroFIT: Helping overweight football fans build healthier lifestylesEuroFIT is a unique lifestyle program that helps men, aged 30 to 65 years, with overweight to improve their lifestyle and health by leveraging their passion for football. APH researchers Hidde van der Ploeg and Femke van Nassau have shown that EuroFIT is effective both in the short and long term.
Optimizing the quality of multidisciplinary team (MDO) meetingsA Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meeting serves as a crucial tool for enhancing the quality of care. However, this process presents considerable challenges for all involved parties due to the diverse range of disciplines participating, as well as the need for effective time management and decision-making.
Co-creating tools to improve healthcare for frail older adultsUNO Amsterdam, the Amsterdam UMC University Network of Organizations for care for older adults, connects science with practice. Nursing professionals, physicians, allied health professionals, managers and researchers join forces to improve care for frail older adults.
Patient-friendly language in electronic health recordsTo improve the understandability of health records, APH researcher Hugo van Mens developed an algorithm to generate diagnosis clarifications in more patient-friendly language.
Proven effective dementia support program rolls out to 600+ centers worldwideMCSP provides support to people with mild to moderate dementia and their carers and is offered in community centers in the neighbourhood. From the very beginning, APH researcher Rose-Marie Dröes has led this research and development initiative.
Big steps forward for diversity in care and researchIntegrating intersectionality into research is one of Petra Verdonk's areas of expertise. An intersectional analysis explores the interaction of aspects of identity with the goal of better understanding how identity plays a role in social inequality.
New techniques for crime scenes and the treatment roomTogether with his research team, APH researcher Maurice Aalders is working on different methods in which truth-telling and diagnosis play a central role. What does a forensic researcher, who primarily investigates people in whom health no longer plays any role, do at Amsterdam Public Health?
An inclusive workplace concerns everyoneSupported and co-funded by Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Manou Anselma and Mai Chin A Paw, conduct research on experiences with racism in the institute itself with their project ‘I Act’.
Get inspired! Sustainability in Amsterdam UMCThe healthcare sector is responsible for 7% of the CO2 emissions in the Netherlands. Therefore the Center for Sustainable Healthcare has been established to address this issue more broadly within Amsterdam UMC.
Smoking and sports do not fit together (anymore)APH researcher Heike Garritsen studies what factors promote the introduction of smoke-free policies at sport clubs, how the introduction of smoke-free policies proceeds, and how this could be improved.
