Updates

I will be giving the following talks at these upcoming events:

- Gender and psychiatric disorders at https://erasmussummerprogramme.nl/summer-programme-courses/gender-and-health

- Together with actors there will be a free theater production with the theme 'everyone is hormonal' https://www.tivolivredenburg.nl/agenda/39579465/de-futuristen-allemaal-hormonaal-15-09-2026

- Stress and sex hormones at https://www.ispne.net/2026-annual-meeting

- Menopause and mood at https://eabctcongress.org/

- PMDD and brain at https://www.pmddnederland.nl/event-details/pmdd-congres-voor-artsen-en-specialisten-2026

-Stress and menstrual cycle at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/camh-womenmind-conference-womens-mental-health-across-the-lifespan-tickets-1982881213086

Together with a wonderful team we received funding to study how reproductive life phases in women affect risk for stress and mood disorders.

Looking forward to working on this project coming 5 years, with Birit Broekman from UMC Amsterdam and Astrid Kamperman from Erasmus MC

Recently I was interviewed and featured in several media outlets about my work on sex hormones and psychological well being:

Psychologie Magazine https://lnkd.in/eDmGbJBr

Illuster: https://www.uu.nl/achtergrond/van-hormonaal-naar-normaal

TV program NTR Focus on how contraception affects stress responses: https://ntr.nl/Focus/287/detail/De-pil/VPWON_1368052

Together with Dr. Catharine Evers we received an incentive grant to study Burn-out. Is this a separate clinical diagnosis (separate from depression/anxiety)? And how come many 40+ women receive this diagnosis??? 

My guess a role for hormones! 

Dr. Anne Marieke Doornweerd successfully defended her thesis entitled Hormone Heroines on January 24 2025

I had the pleasure to talk at Studium Generale 'Hormonen en Emoties' , Betweterfestival and Radboud Reflects 'Are we our hormones' . Videos are online!

At the meeting of the European Society for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience I got to present our newest findings on daily fluctuations in sex hormones and psychological well-being. We hope to submit these results for publication soon!

As of the start of this year I got promoted to Associate professor in Clinical Psychology. I am very grateful for this opportunity and will continue working on the role of body and mind in psychopathology

On November 2nd Emma defended  succesfully her PhD thesis at Utrecht University. I was very happy to be part of her supervisor team.

At the ISPNE conference in London I received the early scholar award based on our work on the effect of oral contraceptives on stress reactivity and prospective mood in the RADAR cohort.

From the Dynamics of Youth research hub we received funding to further unravel the role of oral contraceptives on mood and stress regulation in adolescence. Collaboration with Pedagogical Sciences (Dr.Stefanie Nelemans) and Veterinary Sciences (Dr. Marijke Achterberg).

A group of thesis students conducted the Trier Social Stress Test and found increased stress responses in naturally cycling women compared to men and women on hormonal contraceptives