Dr.ir. Yolanda G.H. Maas

Short biography

Yolanda G.H. Maas was born on 24 November 1960 at Willemstad, Curacao (N.A.). She grew up in the tropics. In 1972 she moved to the Netherlands as her parents decided to return to their home country sooner then originally intended, due to political instabilities on the island. After graduating from High School (Gymnasium-β with 8 subjects, Bisschoppelijk College Weert) in 1979 she started her academic training at the Agricultural University Wageningen. She had a special interest in more clinically oriented subjects and therefore went to the department of Surgery at the Medical Faculty of the Maastricht University, where they had started a parenteral-enteral nutrition team. She was there from September 1983 till April 1984 for part of her doctorate (the doctorate degree then can be compared to the master phase now (subject: Clinical Nutrition)).
From January till July 1986 she went to Guatemala, Central-America, to do practice at CeSSIAM (Centre for Studies on Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism), a research organisation that was then only recently founded.
She graduated form the Wageningen University in March 1987 majoring in Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition with Philosophy and Pedagogics & Didactics as subsidiary subjects (both extra curricular).
 
Rather disappointed in (clinical) research and its standards for procedures, she decided not to pursue her long-existing desire to do research on the relation between malnourishment and neurological development in (very) young infants at that point. Instead she accepted a job as policy worker at the Medical Committee of The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences starting October 1987.
When later on, through prof.dr.ir. H. Spekreijse (Academy member and at that time chairman of the dr. H.P. Heinekenprize  for Biocemistry and Biophysics), an opportunity occurred as yet  to start a research career, she didnot hesitate for long. As of 1 April 1989 she started  working (part-time) at the department of Neonatology with prof.dr. J.G. Koppe of the Academical Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam. The plan was to first develop and then start the execution of a research protocol to study the relation between the nutrition and the neurological and physical development of very preterm born infants.
The project as such has never taken place due to research interests of others in the department. Instead her research activities became intermingled with a placebo controlled (double-blind), randomized trial on thyroxine supplementation (T4). This resulted in extensive longitudinally (bi)weekly measurements and behavioural observations on 160 babies that were born very preterm (< 30 weeks gestational age) in stead of a thorough longitudinal study on 20 to 30 babies. It took till January 1991 before the first baby was included and the combined research protocol could start.
 
Among other factors Yolanda’s “out of the ordinary” career path did not make a transfer to an existing research group very easy after finishing her thesis. Still being interested in science policies etc. she was more than welcome to join the office crew of the (independed) Advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy (AWT) to the government. Before defending her thesis  at 11 November 1999, she had already started her new job as a staff member of the AWT.
 
On 14 July 2000 Yolanda fell ill due to an infection with chicken-pox (varicella). A childhood disease that had been unavailable to contract during her childhood years in the tropics. And - as is not commonly well-known - an infection with can be a very serious (to life threatening) and lengthy matter. And that it has been for her …..
 
Wanting en trying to reintegrate preferably as a researcher, in 2005 she was able to do some small jobs with prof.dr. Margot van Eck van der Sluijs – van de Bor, who had started a few months earlier as the director of the new BSc School for Health & Life Sciences at the VU University Amsterdam. It is with the greatest pleasure that she has been able to extend and consolidate since then her contribution to making the small department of Life & Health Sciences at the VU a successful enterprise.
 
Yolanda Maas is married and has a son (January1996) and a daughter (October 1998).

Education/academic training (starting from masters)

• 1979-1987: Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen, studierichting Humane Voeding,  natuurwetenschappelijke oriëntatie
• 11-11-1999: behalen doctorstitel op proefschrift getiteld: "Early neurological development, growth and nutrition in very preterm infants"

Research Interests:

• human development  form conception till death; with special interest in  the physical and neurological pre- and postnatal development in relation to nutritional and psychological/emotional care (triangle-concept)

Professional employment history (mentioning of awards and Int. collaborations):

1987 - 1990: Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)

• beleidsmedewerker Commissie Geneeskunde KNAW
• beleidsmedewerker Biologische Raad KNAW
• waarnemend secretaris Commissie Geneeskunde KNAW
• waarnemend secretaris Raad voor de Biochemie en Biofysica
• secretaris Commissie ter Meulen Fonds
• secretaris dr. H.P. Heinekenprijs voor de Biochemie en Biofysica

1989 - 1999: Academisch Medisch centrum/IOI, UvA wetenschappelijk onderzoeker afd. Neonatologie, resulterend in promotie eind 1999 (promotie- onderzoek)

1999 - 2000: Adviesraad voor het Wetenschaps- en Technologiebeleid (AWT), Den Haag

2005 – heden: betrokken bij nieuwe bacheloropleiding “Health & Life Sciences”,  Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam
           
                       

5 Key publications as 1st author/co-author

• Mirmiran M, Maas YG, Ariagno RL.
  Development of fetal and neonatal sleep and circadian rhythms.
  Sleep Med Rev. 2003 Aug;7(4):321-34. Review.
• Maas YG, Mirmiran M, Hart AA, Koppe JG, Ariagno RL, Spekreijse H.
  Predictive value of neonatal neurological tests for developmental outcome of preterm infants. J. Pediatr. 2000 Jul;137(1):100-6.
• Proefschrift (1999): "Early neurological development, growth and nutrition in very preterm infants"
• Maas YG, Gerritsen J, Hart AA, Hadders-Algra M, Ruijter JM, Tamminga P, Mirmiran M, Spekreijse H. Development of macronutrient composition of very preterm human milk. Br J Nutr. 1998 Jul;80(1):35-40.
• Maas Y.G.H. Neurologische ontwikkeling en groei in relatie tot voeding bij veel te vroeg geboren baby’s Tijdschrift voor Verloskundigen. 2000 Dec; 25e jaargang #12: 863-73.