Dr. Tommy L.S. Visscher

Which working days where present:
Mo-Fr: Zwolle

Short Biography

Tommy Visscher has performed epidemiologic research to prevalence, determinants , impact and prevention of obesity. He has contributed to the development and evaluation of three intervention programs within the NHF-NRG program, which is a multi-disciplinary research program, subsidised as top-down program by the Netherlands Foundation (Chair: Prof. Dr. D. Kromhout, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J.C. Seidell). He has coordinated the research proposal. He authored ‘The guidelines for weight gain prevention’ with colleagues Prof. Daan Kromhout and Dr. Stef PJ Kremers, that became available in May 2007.
 
As research coordinator, he contributed to the development iof the Research Centre for Obesity Prevention, together with colleague research-coordinator Dr. C. M. Renders (Scientific director: Prof Dr. J.C. Seidell). The research centre appointed the first two promovendi in September 2005. Currently, he is the co-promotor of six PhD-students at VU-Windesheim.
 
Tommy Visscher has been teaching within the studies of Health Sciences and Health and Life Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit. He is now involved in the development of the Windesheim Honours College at Windesheim, Zwolle.

Education/academic training (starting from masters) 

• 2001: PhD, The public health impact of obesity. National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven / Erasmus MC Rotterdam / Wageningen University
• 2000: MSc Epidemiology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam
• 1996: MSc Biomedical Health Sciences Radhoud University, Nijmegen

  
Research Interests 
Obesity, prevention, epidemiology, nutrition, physical activity 
 
Professional employment history (mentioning of awards and Int. collaborations)

• Public health & prevention Task Force, European Association for the study of Obesity (EASO)
• Young Investigators United, EASO
• Editorial Board International Journal of Obesity
• Editorial Board International Journal for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity
• Chair European Congress on Obesity 2009, Amsterdam
• Top-down grant Netherlands Heart Foundation: Netherlands Research programme on weight Gain Prevention. (2001-2007)
• ONVZ preventie jaarprijs 2005

5 Key publications as 1st author

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.

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, Kromhout D, Seidell JC. Long-term and recent time trends in the prevalence of obesity among Dutch men and women. Int J Obes 2002; 26:1218-24.
 
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.

5 publications as co-author

Nooyens ACJ, Koppes LLJ, Visscher TLS, Twisk JWR, Kemper HCG,Schuit AJ, Mechelen van W, Seidell JC. Adolescent skinfold thickness is a better predictor of adult high body fatness than body mass index: the Amsterdam growth and health longitudinal study. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:1533-9.
 
Schokker DF, Visscher TLS, Nooyens ACJ, Baak van MA, Seidell JC. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Netherlands. Obes Rev 2007:102-8.
 
Baak van MA, Visscher TLS. Public health success in recent decades may be in danger if lifestyles of the elderly are neglected. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:1257-8.
 
Kremers SPJ, de Bruijn GJ, Visscher TLS, van Mechelen W, de Vries NK, Brug J. Environmental influences on energy balance-related behaviors: A dual-process view. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2006;3:9.
 
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.

Relevant websites

www.vu.nl
www.windesheim.nl
www.easoobesity.org/yiu/
www.overgewicht.org