About Andrea Evers

Prof. Dr. Andrea W.M. Evers is professor of Health Psychology at Leiden University, the Netherlands. She is also affiliated to the Technical University Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam as Medical Delta Professor Healthy Society. From January 2024, she is also active counsilor for the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid). After her PhD (cum laude), Andrea Evers obtained several personal grants and awards for excellent researchers (e.g. NWO-Veni, NWO-Vidi, NWO Vici, ERC Consolidator Grant) for her innovative, interdisciplinary and translational research on psychoneurobiological mechanisms and treatments for health and disease.

In addition to her broad clinical experience as a registered clinical psychologist, she uniquely combines fundamental and applied science in her translational research, by focusing both on basic research on psychoneurobiology (e.g. placebo mechanisms) and translational research on screening and innovative interventions for somatic conditions (e.g. e-health tools). In 2019, she received the Stevin Award, the highest award in the Netherlands for scientific research with societal impact. She was elected as a lifetime member of the Dutch Royal Academy of Science and Arts (KNAW) as well as the Royal Dutch Society of Science (KHMW). Since 2021, she is also a member of the supervisory board of the VU University Amsterdam.

For a complete overview of ancillary activities, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/medewerkers/andrea-evers#tab-5

 

Background and motivation

"During my studies I did several internships, studied in several cities and followed extra courses in different studies to find out what my passion was. I discovered early on that the combination of Psychology and Medicine very much triggered my interest. In particular the impact that bringing these fields together can have on society. I do not see body and mind as opposites, but parallel processes that continuously influence each other, are interconnected and reinforce each other. I also experience this at a social and administrative level, that different perspectives which are not automatically linked, can be reconciled and because of this can reinforce each other. I am committed to this connection between different scientific fields and social issues as a professor in Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam, but also in my work as a clinical psychologist with patients or during my positions on various advisory boards. Such an inter- and transdisciplinary role feels very natural to me and I try to use it to make the world a little better. I also learned that it is not up to you to determine whether what we do really makes a difference, but that others can judge it much better. Just when I came to this insight, I was awarded the Stevin Prize, one of the most important scientific recognitions in the Netherlands for scientific research with social impact. This confirmed to me that it is better to focus on what you can do for society instead of what you would like to achieve yourself. All of this gives me the opportunity to contribute and inspire others as much as possible. "

Main Topics

Placebo Effects

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Placebo Effects

Placebo Effects

Research about expectancies, communication and conditioning for health and disease

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Healthy Society

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Healthy Society

Healthy Society

Research about lifestyle and behaviour change for health and disease

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Training, Management and Advise
Training, Management and Advise

Training, Management and Advise

Activities and products

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Press photos

Andrea Evers Photo by Simone Both
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Andrea Evers Photo by Yoshua Rood
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Andrea Evers Photo by Maaike Putman
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Andrea Evers Photo by Monique Shaw
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Andrea Evers Photo by Graciela Rossetto
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Andrea Evers Photo by Graciela Rossetto
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