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Director: Prof.Dr. M. van Eck van der Sluijs-van de Bor
(responsible for the BSc programme of Health and Life Sciences)
 
Profdr Margot van Eck vd Sluijs van de Bor

Education

The department is responsible for the BSc program Health and Life Sciences. The broad character of the educational program in human life sciences enables each student to build a personal curriculum. Human health and disease related topics are taught from a molecular level to a societal level. After a freshman year of compulsory courses, the remaining of the three year program consists primarily of elective courses. As the curriculum does not have a fixed program, guidance of the students is pivotal. Students receive guidance from tutors, normally assigned to them for the duration of the BSc program.
Along setting up our research program (vide infra), we also will set up our own master program.

Research

Since our department was established only recently, we are currently in the process of setting up our research program. The main area of research of the Department of Health and Life sciences focuses on developmental neurobiology. We combine in this research program the common interest and expertise of our teaching staff, which has a broad scientific background: newborn medicine, neurobiology, human nutrition.
In the near future two research projects will be initiated:
The contribution of prenatal nutrition and environmental factors to cognitive development.A cohort of pregnant women and their offspring will be followed in order to determine the role of maternal nutritional choices and environmental pollution on cognitive development.
 
Animal models (rat, mouse) for the abovementioned, to investigate putative underlying neuronal correlates. Another part of the study will focus on the hormonal regulation of synaptic plasticity (synaptogenesis, receptor expression and modulation). The rational behind this is that environmental cues, like undernutrition, pollution, and preterm birth, will affect hormone levels in the circulation of the mother, fetus, and newborn and consequently affect the development of the brain.

People working in the department

Profdr Margot van Eck vd Sluijs van de Bor
Dr. M.R. Brouns
Drs. M. de Cock
Drs. Brechje de Gier
Drir Yolanda GH Maas
Laila R. Inhulsen