Course Directors

Prof. Denys

Personalia

Titles, initials, name: Prof. Dr. D. (Damiaan) Denys

Address: Academic Medical Center (AMC) of the

University of Amsterdam

Department of Psychiatry (room PA.2-179)

Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam

Postal address: PO Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam

Phone: +31-20-8913899

Email:d.denys@amc.nl

Education

1984 -1989 Master (MSc) in Philosophy

University of Leuven (KUL), Belgium

1989 – 1996 Master (MD) in Medicine

University of Leuven (KUL), Belgium

1996 – 2002 Residency in Psychiatry

University of Leuven (KUL), Belgium

2000 - 2004 PhD in Psychiatry – cum laude

University Medical Centre (UMC) Utrecht, Netherlands

Current position

2007 - current Professor of Psychiatry

University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam, Netherlands

2009 – current Team leader of research group ‘Neuromodulation and Behaviour’

Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), an institute of the Royal Netherlands

Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherland (herseninstituut.nl)

Research focus

Damiaan Denys conducts research on anxiety and compulsivity. His scientific research is characterized by

a translational approach combining clinical psychiatry, philosophy and neuroscience. A particular focus of

his research is the development of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for psychiatric disorders such as

obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, addiction and eating disorders.

Damiaan Denys | Curriculum Vitae

Scientific Experience

Damiaan Denys has published over 300 papers, 37 book chapters and 8 books. He published in a wide

range of journals such as Nature, Nature Neuroscience, JAMA Psychiatry, Molecular psychiatry, and

Biological psychiatry. [H-index: 57 (Google Scholar)] He supervised 25 completed PhD projects since 2005

and currently supervises 25 PhD students. Total grant amount in euros is ca. 15.000K (consortium);

allocated to own group is ca. 5.000K. His major scientific contributions include the development of the

dopamine hypothesis and reward theory of OCD, the first controlled trials of DBS in OCD and MDD, the

first description and classification of misophonia as a psychiatric disorder, and immune effects of SSRs

with a patent on Allogeneic immune response control: WO Patent 2,013,076,245, (2013)

Managerial Experience

2007-current Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the AMC Amsterdam, (250-300 FTE)

2007-current Chair of the Neuro-division at the AMC Amsterdam

2016 – current Member of the executive committee of the ECNP

2016 – 2019 President of the Dutch Psychiatric Association (NVvP) (3800 members)

2012 - 2018 Chair of the Senate of the University of Amsterdam (UVA)

2010 – 2018 Member of the Supervisory Board of Ipse de Bruggen

Public Lectures

Damiaan Denys regularly gives public lectures at the interface of philosophy, psychiatry and

neurosciences on topics including fear, control, freedom, deep brain stimulation, happiness and

psychiatry. He gives on average 50 talks a year, nationally and internationally. (speakersacademy.com)

Media

Damiaan Denys is frequently requested for various radio and television programs. He was invited for

Zomergasten (2015) and is regularly part of productions of Human and VPRO. (Damiaan_Denys-

Wikipedia)

Theatre

Since 2013 Denys brings science into theater. He wrote a monologue on anxiety and freedom, which he

performed on stage over 60 times in theatres throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. He played at

Lowlands in 2015. (damiaandenys.com)

Columns & Essays

Damiaan Denys regularly writes columns and essays. He was columnist for “De Psychiater” (2016-2018)

and wrote fortnightly columns for the science section of “Het Parool” (2016-2018).