Jeroen Dudink and Sanne Nijhof have been appointed by Dynamics of Youth (UU) to an interdisciplinary domain chair.

These scientists of the UMC Utrecht will lead the thematic research domains 'Early Childhood' and 'Thriving & Healthy Youth'. Together with other researchers, Sanne and Jeroen will give substance to these themes. In doing so, they make an important contribution to research into factors that influence the development of youth. They are happy to tell you more about their motivations.

"For me as a doctor, there is great added value in working with youth researchers from other disciplines," says Jeroen Dudink, neonatologist and brain researcher at the WKZ. "All kinds of research are conducted into the impact of nutrition, sleep, movement and play, for example. If you have a good understanding of the optimal development of children, this has a great value for the guidance of vulnerable children."

Jeroen was already active within 'Early Childhood'. The research domain focuses on early child development from conception to around the fourth year of life. "Within the UU research programme Dynamics of Youth we strive for an inclusive and multidisciplinary approach. This role gives me the opportunity to be even more active in bringing people from different worlds together. I expect a lot from this, because there is often more common ground in research than we think!"

"In this role, I will mainly be a facilitator and actively establish contacts between researchers in the different faculties," states Sanne Nijhof, paediatrician social paediatrics. "In addition, I am committed to ensuring that both vulnerable children and children with optimal development are included in studies. Fortunately, there are already good examples of this, for example collaborations between population cohorts of the UU and our PROactive cohort study that focuses on the psychosocial follow-up of children with a chronic condition and their parents in the WKZ." Sanne was already active within the 'Thriving & Healthy Youth' domain, which focuses on strengthening health and resilience in children and young people. "Based on my previous experiences, I expect that interdisciplinary cooperation will lead to research that connects with social questions and beautiful scientific collaborations that lead to valuable insights and publications.” The chairs will be appointed for a period of four years.