Prevention & Lifestyle

Important lifestyle changes include stopping smoking, improvement of dietary habits, increasing the amount of physical activity and exercise, and reducing stress. Effective self-management and the use of eHealth are key to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Because of its widespread potential for a variety of diseases, the theme Prevention and Lifestyle is relevant for all patient groups and healthcare professionals, both in and outside LUMC. For that reason, we intend to further increase the implementation of this theme in clinical practice, research, and education.

Our mission is to:

• Strengthen research collaborations within our Prevention and Lifestyle theme and with multiple other research themes.
• Improve education on prevention and lifestyle in the Medicine Bachelor and postgraduate education for medical and non-medical healthcare professionals. Furthermore, we aim to provide training courses on prevention and lifestyle intervention for all relevant researchers and healthcare providers at LUMC.
• Motivate influential medical and non-medical clinicians and researchers to reach out to society about prevention and lifestyle.
• To keep talented LUMC researchers in LUMC and attract new talent from outside LUMC.

Milena Schönke

Dr. Milena Schönke is an assistant professor at the Department of Endocrinology. Her research focuses on the impact of exercise training, dietary interventions and novel pharmacological treatments on metabolic health. In particular, she is interested in the interaction of the gut microbiota with the liver and other metabolic organs. She has received multiple national and international grants and has published over 30 scientific publications. Since 2023 she is a member of the Young Academy Leiden where she contributes to the committees on policy development and outreach.

Thea Vliet Vlieland

Prof. Dr. Thea Vliet Vlieland is a Professor of Efficiency of Rehabilitation Processes and a rehabilitation researcher. Her research is aimed at patients' use of healthcare and their healthcare needs, with a focus on the promotion of physical activity and exercise. She (co)authored over 350 scientific publications and is the lead author of various influential reviews and practice guidelines. She received the Nederlandse Reumatologie Penning from the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Reumatologie, and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, American College of Rheumatology. She’s currently vice president of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology.

Click here for profile Thea Vliet Vlieland.

Niels Chavannes

Prof. Dr. Niels Chavannes is a family physician and professor of eHealth Applications in Population Health Management at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at LUMC, visiting professor at Fudan University’s Respiratory Research Institute (Shanghai, China), and head of the Prevention & Lifestyle Theme at LUMC’s Research Council. He’s the Vice-Chair of the Dutch Asthma and COPD Advisory Group and National Advisor of the Dutch Action Program on Chronic Lung Diseases of Lung Alliance Netherlands. He founded the National eHealth Living Lab, has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles, and contributed to 18 books.

Click here for profile Niels Chavannes.

With our mission in mind, we have divided our theme into the following subthemes:

The research on this theme is performed with many national and international collaborators, including:

• Pharmaceutical companies (e.g. TNO, Sense Health, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Descin BV Amsterdam, Manometric Holding BV Delft, Cue2Walk International BV Den Haag, Jagaco BV Zoetermeer, Samson IT, Philips healthcare)
• Healthcare providers (for example, Zorg en Zekerheid, Menzis, CZ)
• Healthcare associations (e.g. Arts en Leefstijl, NHG, Foodfirst Network, Je Leefstijl als Medicijn)
• Foundations (Pharos, Diabetesfonds, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Hartstichting, ReumaNederland)
• Politics (Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport)

E-mail: Info.prevention@lumc.nl