Zij is medeoprichter van het Centrum Gezond Gewicht en bekleedt diverse bestuurlijke functies, waaronder het voorzitterschap van het Partnerschap Overgewicht Nederland, met een adviesrol aan de Nederlandse overheid. Van 2021-2025 is zij de Europese leider van het thema Obesity, Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolism binnen de European Society of Endocrinology.
Haar wetenschappelijke onderzoek richt zich voornamelijk op (onder andere monogenetische) obesitas en stresshormonen. Ze is co-auteur van het boek VET belangrijk, dat inmiddels een prijswinnende internationale bestseller is. In de afgelopen jaren stond zij meerdere malen in de top 10 van meest invloedrijke vrouwen in de gezondheidszorg en in 2024 in de VVAA Top 100 allertijden (nr. 33) van artsen met de grootste betekenis voor de zorg.
Currently, half of all adults are overweight and more than 15% are obese. Obesity is a chronic endocrine disease that disrupts numerous fat and intestinal hormones, often increasing appetite. There are also new insights into how the notorious yo-yo effect occurs. It is well known that obesity leads to hundreds of other diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, osteoarthritis, various forms of cancer, and reduced labor participation.
For an effective approach, it is important to screen for the causes and type of obesity. This can be done via www.checkoorzakenovergewicht.nl. Treatment can then be tailored accordingly (see www.behandelovergewicht.nl).
Developments in the field of obesity treatments are currently advancing rapidly. For example, there are new forms of lifestyle interventions and new obesity medications that are already available and reimbursed or will become available in the near future and also have a positive impact on people\'s ability to work. The role of the insurance doctor is also discussed in this context.
The talk will explore the concept of neurodivergence, focusing on autism and ADHD in adults. The presentation sharpens the understanding of neurodivergence while addressing the associated risks, particularly regarding mortality and morbidity, and their implications for life and health insurance underwriting.
This talk will chart an unexpected course, from being an outsider, to the centre of a field, and back out again. I start by debunking both a Science paper that argues for a hard upper limit to human life, and a Nature paper that argues the inverse. Neither are retracted. Then, I annoy all sides of an unpleasant debate by providing a new theoretical finding on the limits of life: the idea there is one limit to survival and that there is there no limit to survival both appear to be wrong. I then show a theoretical result that reveals how extremely errors accumulate nonlinearly with age.
This model explains the existence of late-life mortality plateaus, invalidates late-life mortality models (like the Kannisto model), causes substantial problems when modelling longevity risk, and breaks population estimates. Finally, I demonstrate how this uncorrectable nonlinear error process has generated junk data on a shocking scale: supercentenarian databases are filled with ‘anomalies’, virtually all centenarian data appears to be undetected errors, and 71 years of UN data seems to be dominated by junk beyond the age of 80.
These theoretical and analytical findings have been awarded the Ig Nobel prize for my incorrigible, but unanswered, questions
Discerning advanced liver fibrosis can be challenging and due to increasing prevalence of MAFLD along with increased trends on alcohol use, we should expect early claims.
In this session, we will explore causes of liver disease in developing and developed countries with emphasis on how to recognize the red flags at time of underwriting that should prompt high suspect for advanced liver fibrosis and thereby protect your business from early claims.
An administrative perspective on quality, responsibility, and innovation
Healthcare is stuck. We see it in hospital care, long-term care, and also in social security. Systems that were once intended to protect are now sometimes hindering action. Responsibilities are fragmented, professionals are caught between protocols and production requirements, and citizens get lost in bureaucracy. Kjeld Aij, director at Erasmus MC and PhD in lean and leadership in healthcare, takes a fresh, systemic look at the foundations of our healthcare system. Why are things getting stuck? What is going on with the WIA? And what can we learn from hospital experiences about focusing on quality and value without getting bogged down in control freakery or management jargon?
In this stimulating lecture, Kjeld Aij takes us through sharp observations, confrontational examples, and hopeful perspectives for action. An invitation to contribute, from everyone\'s unique role, to a healthcare system that is once again coherent, dynamic, and meaningful.
Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) are still often misunderstood or misinterpreted. However, in recent years, a significant paradigm shift has taken place. FND is now regarded as a neurological disease. Furthermore, the diagnosis of FND is no longer one of exclusion, but rather one based on positive diagnostic criteria.
This presentation offers insight into the neurological reality of FND and its implications for healthcare and policy.
Alwin van Drongelen will present about the impact of irregular working hours on employee health and well-being. With his experience and knowledge from within the aviation sector and various types of high-risk professions, he will describe the short-term and long-term effects of irregular working hour exposure, and how these effects relate to older employees and those with chronic conditions.
His presentation will also explore the possibilities to mitigate the negative effects of irregular working hours, and the policy that is applied within aviation. Finally, the implications for occupational health insurance will be addressed.
“Yes, no, or maybe?”: update on recognizing return-to-work mode with the REMODE tool in people without (permanent) employment who have mental health issues
REMODE is a validated checklist for recognizing the return-to-work mode in people on sick leave without (permanent) employment who have psychological complaints. The instrument was developed on the basis of qualitative and quantitative research and exhibits strong psychometric properties. Sickness benefit professionals, including insurance doctors, can use REMODE to systematically assess perceptions, cognitions, and attitudes about returning to work and tailor reintegration guidance accordingly. The first results of an implementation study within the UWV, focused on effectiveness and practical applicability within insurance medical practice, are expected in the fall of 2025.
Feasibility of the BAR tool and guidelines for interprofessional collaboration during the reintegration process
In order to improve cooperation between company doctors (CDs), insurance doctors (IDs), and occupational experts (OEs), the BAR instrument and multidisciplinary guidelines were developed based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). The aim of this study was to investigate the comprehensibility, applicability, and acceptance of the BAR instrument and the guidelines among professionals.
Factors influencing the implementation of eHealth interventions aimed at improving labor force participation: preliminary results of a scoping review
Participation in work is important because it contributes to people's health and well-being. However, sustainable work participation is often complex for people with a chronic condition or disability. EHealth interventions can improve the work participation of these people. However, successful implementation of these interventions in practice often does not take place or takes a long time.
Knowledge about which factors influence the implementation of eHealth interventions aimed at improving work participation is largely lacking, but could be used to promote implementation.
Associations between social insurance literacy and perceived justice and perceivedfairness in a work disability claim setting
Many individuals applying for work disability benefits do not have suƯicient knowledge and abilities to successfully interact with the social insurance system, which in turn could lead to feelings of injustice or unfairness.
To examine the associations between social insurance literacy (SIL) and perceived justice and perceived fairness, a cross-sectional survey study was conducted among clients applying for work disability benefits in the Dutch social insurance system.
In this presentation, the results will be presented and we will discuss how social insurance literacy is associated with perceptions of justice or fairness.
Institutional trust in agencies involved in disability assessments: findings from a systematic literature review
Trust in public agencies involved in disability assessments and income support is essential for open communication, engagement, and sustainable participation. In this systematic literature review, we investigated which factors influence this trust.
During the presentation, we will discuss which factors influence institutional trust according to international studies. We will also discuss what insurance doctors themselves can do in practice to strengthen this trust and thus better support the participation of workers and job seekers.
Interprofessional learning as the key to effective collaboration in work and health: insights from Project IPL
Effective collaboration between insurance doctors, company doctors, and occupational experts is crucial for reintegration and sustainable employability, but is still rarely applied in the field of labor and health. The Interprofessional Learning (IPL) project developed three learning activities: interactive training, e-learning about collaborating with the BAR instrument, and a methodology for interprofessional case discussion.
During this session, the development experiences and lessons learned from Project IPL will be shared. The presentation will contribute to greater awareness of the importance of good interprofessional collaboration in reintegration and offer concrete tools for strengthening interprofessional collaboration in the field of work and health.
Hotel Almere is located alongside the highway A6, near the cities Amsterdam, Utrecht and Hilversum.
Almere Parkwijk and Almere Centrum train stations are only a few minutes away by car from the hotel. From these stations you can travel to the hotel by bus or taxi. From both Almere Parkwijk and Almere Centrum Stations you can take bus M5 and get off at bus stop Walt Disneyplantsoen. From this stop it is about a 10-minute walk to Hotel Almere.
From the A27 towards Hilversum/Huizen, take exit 36 towards Almere Stad. At the end of the exit, turn left towards Almere Haven/Almere Stad (N305). Just before Almere you drive under the viaduct of the A6 motorway, still in the direction of Almere Stad. The road is now called Veluwedreef. At the 2nd traffic light, turn left onto the Veluwezoom. You will find Hotel Almere on your right.
From the A1 in the direction of Amersfoort, take the A6 in the direction of Almere. On the A6, take exit 5 (Almere Stad). At the end of the exit, turn left towards Almere Stad (S103 Veluwedreef). At the 2nd traffic light, turn left onto the Veluwezoom. You will find Hotel Almere on your right.
From the A6 towards Almere, take exit 5 (Almere Stad). At the end of the exit, turn left at the traffic light in the direction of Almere Stad (S103 Veluwedreef). At the 1st traffic light, turn left onto the Veluwezoom. You will find Hotel Almere on your right.