Award for Parkinson’s disease expert Bas Bloom
general
NIJMEGEN – Neurologist Bas Bloem from Radboudumc Nijmegen will receive this year’s Stevin Prize from the Netherlands Scientific Research Organization (NWO). Bloom is an expert in the field of Parkinson’s disease and received this award in recognition of the social impact of his research into this condition.
“Bloem, Professor of Neurological Movement Disorders at Radboudumc, is the world’s number one expert in the field of Parkinson’s disease. Thanks to Bloem’s efforts, the intractable brain disorder has been on the scientific and social agenda for decades. Bloem is constantly looking for new ways to slow and prevent Parkinson’s disease, and to keep The quality of life of patients and relatives for as long as possible,” says Radbodomek.
He developed ParkinsonNet, a model of care in which different caregivers work together to provide the best care for Parkinson’s disease. Multidisciplinary care (such as physical therapy and speech therapy), sports and a healthy lifestyle play an important role in this. Since then the model has been applied in many countries.
The award committee describes Stephen Bloom as an out-of-the-box thinker with an impressive international network. He develops innovative products with technology companies to improve Parkinson’s disease care. Together with four others, he authored The Parkinson Pandemie. A recipe for action” to generate more interest in the need for prevention. His video for the University of the Netherlands has been viewed nearly a million times.
The NWO panel commends Bloom as a committed professor who makes great strides in building bridges between science, the patient, and the family. With the Stevin Prize, Bloem is expected to continue to make important progress in the further development of personalized and integrated medicine. In addition, Bloem wants to use the premium for groundbreaking new research aimed at preventing Parkinson’s disease. Finally, Bloem wants to provide more guidance for young researchers in improving the valorization of scientific knowledge.
Bas Bloom: I am honored to receive this award. I might receive this award, but I see it primarily as a team award. A true acknowledgment of the work we do with our wonderful group at Radboudumc in Nijmegen. Together we now want to use the premium for ‘high-risk and reward’ research, as we will focus for the first time on actual Parkinson’s disease prevention. And we will do this with a completely new study design, where all participants will be treated and evaluated completely remotely.”
Two Nijmegen Prize laureates
This year, six scientists will receive the highest awards in Dutch science, the Spinoza and Stephen Prizes. What is remarkable is that one of the Spinoza Prizes goes to a researcher from Radboud University. Mathematical physicist Claes Landsmann researches, among other things, chance, determinism, and appearance. It rarely happens that two of these premiums go to one university in one year.
Each winner will receive €2.5 million. They decide for themselves what they spend the premium on, as long as it relates to scientific research and/or activities related to the use of knowledge. The ceremonial awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday October 5, 2022. During the award ceremony, the winners provide insight into the content of their research and it becomes clear what they want to use the installment for.
“Travel enthusiast. Alcohol lover. Friendly entrepreneur. Coffeeaholic. Award-winning writer.”