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I am psychiatrist and philosopher.

I have a chair in Philosophy of Neuroscience (dpt. Anatomy and Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc; sincd 2016). I also hold the (endowed) Dooyeweerd chair in Christian Philosophy (dpt. of philosophy, Faculty of Humanities; since 2008).

I studied medicine at University of Amsterdam (MD 1981) and philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam (MA, cum laude, 1982).

After my specialization in psychiatry I worked as psychiatrist in UMC Utrecht (1985-2001) and in Dimence Groep, Institute for Mental Health in the province of Overijssel, both as psychiatrist (2001-...) and as director of residency training in psychiatry (2001-2020). 

My dissertation was devoted to ‘Concepts of anxiety and anxiety disorders. A clinical and philosophical study’ (Lisse/Amsterdam, 1991).

From 1992 – 2009 I held a special chair in Reformational Philosophy at Leiden University (dpt. of philosophy) and from 2006 – 2012 a personal, strategic chair in Philosophy and Psychiatry, at Leiden University Medical Centre.

My main areas of interest are conceptual and normative issues at the interface between philosophy, psychiatry, neuroscience, and society.

Together with Henk Jochemsen and Jan Hoogland I developed a so-called ‘normative practice approach’ for healthcare. This model is currently used in philosophical field work in medicine, nursing, education, communication studies, psychotherapy and agriculture.

I am editor in chief of Philosophia Reformata and senior editor of Philosophy, Psychiatry, Philosophy.

I am member of the board of the Abraham Kuyper Centre for Science and Religion.

I am chairman of the Foundation for Psychiatry and Religion and of the Platform for Psychiatry and Philosophy of the Dutch Association for Psychiatry.