Free University of Amsterdam Team

Free University of Amsterdam

Tommy L.S. Visscher, PhD

SED Committee Co-chairman

Institute of Health Sciences
VU University and VU University Medical Center
Amsterdam
Research coordinator at the research centre of obesity prevention (VU-Windesheim)

Academic training:

• PhD-thesis on the Public health impact of obesity
• Post-doc position on a multidisciplinary research programme on weight gain prevention in which epidemiology and health promotion came together

Research interests:
Main expertise on public health, prevention and chronic disease management, epidemiology, methodology and youth health care in general

Memberships:

• Educational manager for Health and community studies at the Windesheim Honours College
• Current chair of the European Association for the Study of Obesity's Public health and prevention taskforce and co-chair of EEN's scientific committee
• May 2009: chair of the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam and the preceding ECO2009 Prevention satellite ‘Cross-European community interventions and studies to prevent obesity'
  

Publications:

• Author of the Dutch guidelines for weight gain prevention

Key publications:

• Visscher TLS, Viet AL, Kroesbergen IH, Seidell JC. Underreporting of BMI in adults and its effect on obesity prevalence estimations in the period 1998 to 2001. Obesity 2006;14:2054-63.
• Doak CM, Visscher TLS, Renders CM, Seidell JC. The prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: a review of interventions and programmes. Obesity Reviews 2006;7: 113-138.
• Visscher TLS, Rissanen A, Seidell JC, Heliövaara M, Knekt P, Reunanen A, Aromaa A. Obesity and unhealthy life years in adult Finns. An empirical approach. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:1413-20.
• Visscher TLS, Seidell JC. The public health impact of obesity. Annu Rev Public Health. 2001;22:355-75.
• Visscher TLS, Seidell JC, Molarius A, Van der Kuip D, Hofman A, Witteman JCM. A comparison of BMI, waist hip ratio and waist circumference as predictors of all-cause mortality among the elderly: The Rotterdam Study. Int J Obes 2001;25:1730-5.

Contact :
VU-Windesheim, Po Box 10090 - 8000 GB ZWOLLE
Tel Zwolle: + 31 38 469 9056 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting + 31 38 469 9056 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Secr: + 31 38 469 9096)
Tel Amsterdam: (Secr: + 31 20 598 6985)
Fax : + 31 20 598 6940
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Relevant Websites :
www.epode.fr
www.easo.org
www.windesheimhonourscollege.nl

His career:
Dr. Visscher’s main expertise is on public health, prevention and chronic disease management, epidemiology, methodology and youth health care in general. He wrote his PhD-thesis on the Public health impact of obesity, spent his post-doc position on a multidisciplinary research programme on weight gain prevention in which epidemiology and health promotion came together, and is now research coordinator at the research centre of obesity prevention (VU-Windesheim) with a main focus on developing chronic disease management of obesity within an Academic workplace, bringing together practice, policies, and research. Since November 2008, he is the educational manager for Health and community studies at the Windesheim Honours College. Dr Visscher authored the Dutch guidelines for weight gain prevention. He is the current chair of the European Association for the Study of Obesity’s Public health and prevention taskforce and co-chair of EEN’s scientific committee. In May 2009 he will chair the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam and the preceding ECO2009 Prevention satellite ‘Cross-European community interventions and studies to prevent obesity’ in which EEN has a strong role.