Fields of expertise and interest:
Public health, hearing and hearing loss, living environment, measurement methods, epidemiology, longitudinal data analyses, ecological momentary assessment, health behavior change, implementation science, participatory research

Background:
In 2003, I started my Bachelor in Health Sciences at the VU University in Amsterdam. I focused on aging, prevention and epidemiology. In 2006, I got my Bachelor's degree (cum laude), and in 2008, my Master’s degree in Public Health Research and Epidemiology.

After my study, I worked at the departments of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, section Ear and Hearing and of Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) of the VU Medical Center as a PhD student. I examined the longitudinal associations between hearing status and psychosocial health in older persons, and the determinants of hearing loss. Other topics that I addressed were functioning and disability with hearing loss, and interventions following hearing screening in adults. On 25 October 2013, I earned my PhD degree.

Current position:
I am a senior researcher at the department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, section Ear & Hearing of the VU medical center, and am also involved in the LASA study. I supervise one PhD student (Janine Meijerink), and work on several projects on a range of topics: predictors of hearing help seeking, self-management support interventions for adults with hearing loss, Ecological Momentary Assessment, and longitudinal associations between cognitive and hearing decline.

At the moment, I am mostly working on the HEAR-aware project. We are developing and testing a self-management support smartphone app for hearing-impaired adults. One of the cornerstones of the app is EMA: Ecolological Momentary Assessment.

Please read more about the HEAR-aware project here:
https://www.health-holland.com/project/2018/hear-aware-supporting-hearing-health-in-adults-not-ready-for-a-hearing-aid