Specialization
Public Health Nutrition, Food Environments, System Dynamics, Systems Thinking, Participatory Research
Focus of research
I am an assistant professor at the Amsterdam UMC, department Public and Occupational Health and the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute. I am trained as a dietitian, nutritionist and epidemiologist and obtained my Master’s degree from Wageningen University.
My core interest lies within the design, implementation and evaluation of (participatory) system dynamic approaches to help to address non communicable diseases (with a specific focus on overweight and obesity). I collaborate extensively with both local and national policymakers to guarantee that the research being conducted, along with its outcomes, can be effectively integrated into decision-making procedures into practice.
My current research is predominantly focused on the transition from systems thinking theories into actual implementation of these theories in practice. I am involved in different large scale system dynamics studies including LIKE, Food4Smiles and Eten op school.
I am a supervisor of several PhD students and involved in teaching courses, among other places, at the department of Health Sciences of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I am also a member of different boards and advisory committees, as for example board member of the Dutch Academy of Nutrition Science, and member of the Amsterdam Young Academy.