Amsterdam Movement Sciences (AMS) research institute was established in 2017, as a follow up to MOVE research institute. The founding partners of AMS are the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam UMC, and our members are junior and senior researchers from the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences (FGB) and the Faculty of Science, both VU Amsterdam, as well as researchers from various departments at Amsterdam UMC, ACTA (Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde Amsterdam), and researchers from the Faculty of Health at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences).
Our inspiration is substantiated through innovative, surprising clinical and fundamental research on human movement, and is organized in five programs programs: Sports, Musculoskeletal Health, Tissue Function & Regeneration, Ageing & Vitality and Rehabilitation & Development.
At Amsterdam Movement Sciences, we combine various fields of study and innovative techniques with focus on implementation and use in society. We are partners with patients and top athletes, dental surgeons and physiotherapists, industry and health insurance companies, sport coaches and cell biologists; as long as human movement is the focus.
With the translation of knowledge from our research into diet, lifestyle and training recommendations, clinical guidelines, inventions and advice to professionals we contribute to the advancement of societal well-being.
The highest research quality is our norm. We make every effort to guide our researchers and encourage them to cooperate in an interdisciplinary setting, and of course: to strive for the highest standars.
Mission, Vision and Aim
Mission
Amsterdam Movement Sciences is dedicated to advancing physical and mental performance in both health and disease, aiming to contribute to well-being and societal participation based on a fundamental understanding of human movement.
Vision
All humans benefit from movement/physical activity without pain and physical or mental limitations. AMS takes on research questions concerning the human movement system, driven by a profound interest, clinical considerations, and societal perspectives. Through research, AMS contributes to the enhancement, preservation, and restoration of the human motor system, enabling optimal physical performance in daily life.
Aim
Amsterdam Movement Sciences focuses on human movement, a key issue for today’s society, and approaches this in a broad interdisciplinary composition, covering from fundamental to clinical and from cellular to population research, which is unique in the world. The institute aims at being world leading in the field of interdisciplinary translational research on human movement and physical performance, and to disseminate its results to end-users so that society benefits optimally from our research results.
Organization
The day-to-day running of the institute is in the hands of the two Scientific Directors, supported by a small group of support staff. The management team, consisting of the two scientific directors, the five research program directors, the support staff and ECR and PhD candidates meet once a month to discuss policy issues and direction.
Management Team
- Professor dr. Richard Jaspers, (Director), Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam;
- Professor dr. Hans Tol, (Director), Amsterdam UMC, location AMC;
- Professor dr. Evert Verhagen, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;
- Dr. Wendy Scholten Peeters, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam;
- Dr. Nathalie Bravenboer, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;
- Professor dr. Carel Meskers, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;
- Professor dr. Sicco Bus, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC;
- Dr. Erwin van Wegen, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;
- Dr. Melissa Hooijmans, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC;
- Marijke Leeuwerk, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;
- Drs. Mirjam Gouweloos, AMS, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam;
- Drs. Solveig Lund, AMS, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam.
- Maria Luiza di Carlo Riato, MSc, AMS, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam.
ECR Committee
- Dr. Melissa Hooijmans, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC;
- Dr. Sina David, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam;
- Vacancy.
PhD Committee
- Marijke Leeuwerk, (chair) Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;
- Juul van Grootel, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC;
- Dax Houtkamp, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam;
- Karlijn Kooijman, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam.
Contact: ams.phd.committee@vu.nl
Collaboration & Partners
Collaboration is of paramount importance within academia, and for translational researchers. We stay in close touch with the various fields where our research outcomes are applied, and where we can be inspired to do further research on thus far unsolved research questions.
Our researchers are in daily contact with industry for early technological development, rehabilitation centers for applying newfound solutions and international academic partners for collaboration on new projects. Below is a sample of our collaboration partners, which gives an impression of the range of our collaboration practices.
- Ajax Football Club;
- Amsterdam Bone Centre;
- Amsterdam Collaboration for Health and Safety in Sports (ACHSS);
- Amsterdam Institute of Sport Science (AISS);
- Amsterdam Spine Centre;
- Boston Sports Medicine Group Harvard;
- Hospital for Special Surgery New York,
- Collaborations involving several EU consortia, such as PANINI on nutrition and mobility for the elderly and PreventIT on prevention of mobility loss;
- Dutch Burns Center in Beverwijk;
- Dutch Cerebral Palsy Expertise Center;
- International Trauma Research Network;
- Motek Medical;
- Orthopedic Surgery University of Basel;
- PSV Eindhoven;
- Rehabilitation Centers: RC Reade, RC Heliomare, RC De Trappenberg and Merem Medische Revalidatie;
- Reuma Nederland;
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC);
- Various Dutch national and international sports federations.
Accountability
Annual reports
List of publications
Contact
Do you have comments, questions or, suggestions? Get in touch via ams@vu.nl or use our contact form.