Biography

• In 1986, Michiel Bots received his medical degree at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. After working as a resident in Gynaecology and Obstetrics, at the Hospital Zonnegloren in Soest and as a resident in Surgery at the Juliana Hospital in Apeldoorn, he started in 1988 his training in cardiovascular epidemiology started at the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics of the Erasmus University Medical School in Rotterdam.
• In 1993, he obtained his PhD degree on the thesis entitled 'Carotid wall thickness as indicator of generalised atherosclerosis'.
• In 1996 he moved to the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care of the University Medical Center Utrecht in Utrecht.
• Since 1997 he serves as Managing (up to 2001) and Scientific director of Vascular Imaging Center Utrecht, a vascular core laboratory on quantification of structural, dynamic and functional arterial characteristics.
• In 2001 he was appointed associate professor in epidemiology
• Since 2009 he is a professor in the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
• Since 2013 he is chariman of the steering committe of the Utrecht Cardiovascular Cohort: a multidisciplinary effort with physicians, patients and researchers of the UMC Utrecht, the UCC sets a benchmark for a learning cardiovascular healthcare system. UCC offers an invaluable resource for future high quality care as well as for first-class research for investigators.

 His research activities comprise observational studies and clinical trials

• around the development of atherosclerosis, its physiological and environmental risk factors and its consequences. Non-invasive assessment of atherosclerotic abnormalities through imaging in both high risk and low risk populations by measurement of carotid intima-media thickness, carotid plaque, arterial stiffness, coronary calcifications, coronary stenosis and their progression over time are major topics in his studies.
• around uncontrolled hypertension elevated blood pressure and treatment thereof
• around kidney disease and its determinants and therapies, with a main focus on dialysis patients and treatment modalities
• around facts and figure of cardiovascular disease in the Netherlands, with an emphasis on national data obtainable through linkage of registries.
• around the creation of an infrastructure for uniform registration of cardiovascular information in routine clinical practice for patients referred for cardiovascular care at the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands

 His scientific output involves over 750 international peer reviewed publications.

 His teaching activities involve

• Regular curricular lectures on cardiovascular and general clinical epidemiology for medicine, biomedical and pharmaceutical bachelor and master students.

• Coordinator of the annual MSc course 'Cardiovascular Epidemiology' (www.msc-epidemiology.nl)

• Coordinator of the annual Blended MSc course ‘Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease’ (https://elearning.elevatehealth.eu/)

• Regularly a MSc course 'Clinical Epidemiology' outside the Netherlands (China, Germany, Malaysia)