About
Introduction
Meike Vernooij, MD PhD, is a Neuroradiologist, Head & Neck Radiologist and Professor of Population Imaging at the
Departments of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine and Epidemiology at Erasmus University Medical Center.
Prof. Vernooij completed her MSc in Epidemiology from the Netherlands Institute of Health Sciences, and her MD and PhD (both
with honours) from Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Additionally, she has completed a residency in Radiology at
Erasmus MC University Medical Center and a fellowship in Neuroradiology and Head & Neck Radiology from the same medical
center.
She was a visiting scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA in 2014, and holds a visiting professorship with Kyoto
Prefectural University Hospital, JP.
Field(s) of expertise
Since 2005, Prof. Vernooij is applying population imaging, the acquisition of medical images in large cohorts, to study
development of brain diseases and vascular diseases. A specific focus of her work is on imaging markers which may be used as
preclinical markers for cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia. She uses quantitative imaging to
gain a deeper understanding of disease etiology and to improve disease prediction. She collaborates with the Alzheimer Center of
Erasmus MC to translate her population findings into clinical practice for precision medicine.
Her work has been recognized with the European Prize for Neuroradiology (Lucien Appel Prize 2014), the Stroke Innovation
Award by the Journal Stroke, and the Lourens Penning Prize of the Dutch Society of Radiology.
Prof. Vernooij has authored over 230 peer-reviewed publications in the field of Population Neuroimaging and is currently
supervising 7 PhD students and 4 postdocs. She combines her research line with clinical neuroradiology, with in patient care a
specific focus on neurodegeneration as well. Prof. Vernooij is member of the diagnostic committee of the European Society of
Neuroradiology, in which she leads a working group on Imaging in Dementia.
Education and career
Departments of Epidemiology and Radiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL
Associate professor (permanent position, full time) (Jan 2014– present)
Departments of Epidemiology and Radiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL
Neuroradiologist and Head & Neck radiologist (permanent position, full time) (March 2012-present)
Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL
Visiting scholar
J. Philip Kistler Stroke Research Center (prof. dr. Steven Greenberg) (May 2014– Dec 2014)
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
Fellow in Neuroradiology and Head & Neck Radiology (Dec 2009-March 2012)
Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL
Postdoctorate researcher (Dec 2009 – March 2011)
Principal investigator of Alzheimer’s Association grant NIRG-09-131680
“Microstructural white matter changes and risk of cognitive decline”
PhD research project (completed cum laude) (June 2005 – March 2009)
Imaging of age-related brain changes – a population-based approach
Departments of Radiology and Epidemiology, Erasmus MC
Radiologist in training (2002 – 2011)
Erasmus MC – University Medical Centre Rotterdam, NL
Head of department: Professor Dr. G.P. Krestin
Completed: March 15 2011
(note: residency paused 2005-2009 for PhD project)
Publications
Out of 230 PubMed listed publications, 60% comprises 1st/2nd/second-to-last/last authorships
1st authorships: 16
2nd authorships: 25
2nd-to-last authorships: 32
last authorships: 50
3rd authorships: 23
% of publications in top-10% journals in relevant field: 70%
% of publications in top-25% journals in relevant field: 87%
H-index: 43
Average impact factor of my publications is 9.7
See for full list of publiations: https://tinyurl.com/meikevernooij
Teaching activities
Though my primary activities are research and clinical work, I have developed several teaching activities that are primarily
directed at educating young professionals in their career. This ranges from teaching high school students (in the Junior Med
School of Erasmus MC, since 2012), lecturing for Honours Class medical students, interns and residents (in daily clinical work), to
starting researchers (in the Nihes research school, in which I am teaching a summer course since 2011). Since 2014, I am a
member of the E-learning editorial board of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), in which I am the curriculum lead. Since
2015, I am the sole responsible person for development of the Neuroradiology examination material for the European Board in
Radiology exams (EBiR). I am visiting professor at the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and perform regular teaching
activities to radiology residents and young researchers at their institute. I am a committee member of the educational award
committee of the Radiological Society of North-America (RSNA), the largest medical professional society, since 2016. I hold a
BKO (deel-)certification since October 2014. In October 2017, I was appointed as Program Director for the Research Master
Clinical Research at Erasmus MC. In this role I am responsible for the teaching curriculum, for selection and admittance of
students to the master program, allocation of students to research projects, mid-term and final examination procedures, and
presiding the advisory board.
Other positions
My management activities span various fields. In research, I am responsible for the Population Imaging in the Rotterdam Study,
and as such, for the imaging unit at the research centre (2 fte research technicians) and my research line on Population
Neuroimaging (4 postdocs, 7 PhD students). I am a member of the Management Team of the Rotterdam Study and of the
Radiology Research Committee of the Department of Radiology since my associate professorship in 2014. In my clinical work, I
am since 2014 the Chair of the radiologist staff meetings of the Department of Radiology. I am a member of the Dutch guideline
committee for Mild Cognitive Impairment in 2016-2018. Internationally, I am a member of the Diagnostic Committee of the
European Society of Neuroradiology since 2015, and in this role lead an international Working Group on Imaging in Dementia. I
am member of the Written Examination Board for the European Diploma in Radiology (EDiR).
Since 2012, I am a member of the Young Erasmus Academy, a network of young associate and full professors at Erasmus
University, who advise the Board of Directors on research and educational policy. I was installed as member of the Erasmus MC
Research grant committee (MRACE) in 2017. In 2017, I also joined the board of the network of female academics at Erasmus MC
(Vena). In 2018, I participated as member of an ad hoc committee on research integrity. I am an associate editor with the Journal
of Alzheimer’s Disease and the British Journal of Radiology.
• Talent and Innovation Council Erasmus MC, vice-chair (Oct 2018-present)
• Scientific integrity committee Erasmus MC, member (March 2018 – present)
• European Society of Radiology, ECR scientific and educational program, neuroradiology subcommittee (2017-present)
• Program Director Research Master Clinical Research (2017-present)
• Scientific advisory board CAA foundation (2014-2018)
• Written examination committee for European Diploma in Radiology (EDiR) (2015-present)
• Editorial Board for e-learning, Curriculum Lead, European Society of Radiology (ESR) (2014-2018)
• RSNA educational exhibit award committee (2016-2018)
• VasCog conference scientific committee, 2016 (conference October 2016, Amsterdam, NL)
Scholarships, grants, and awards
• H2020: EuroPOND (European Progression of Neurodegenerative Disease initiative) - (€5 million total; €800,000 for own
research group) – role: WP leader. (2016-present)
• JPND BRIDGET: (BRain Imaging, cognition, Dementia and next generation GEnomics: a Transdisciplinary approach to search
for risk and protective factors of neurodegenerative disease) – (€375,000 for Erasmus MC) - role: key investigator.
(2016-present)
• Memorabel: CAVIA project - (€189,000 for own research group, grand total €970,000) – WP leader. (2014-2018)
• Innovative Medical Devices Initiative: Imaging dementia: brain matters (€ 500,0000) – co-applicant. (2014-present)
• Alzheimer Nederland international fellowship grant (€ 11,460) – principal investigator. (2013-2014) For 7-month international
research visit to the lab of professor Steven Greenberg, Boston, MA, USA (2014)
• BBMRI- Complementation Project (€ 75,000) – principal investigator. (2013-present)
• ZonMw – ethics & health program (€ 90,000) – co-applicant. (2013-2016)
• Medical Research Council, New Investigator Research Grant (£150,000) – co-investigator . (2013-present)
Temporal lobe connections and parallel networks for memory: possible mechanisms of resilience and recovery after stroke
• Alzheimer Nederland research grant (€ 270,000) – principal investigator. (2013-2018)
Functional brain connectivity: a new imaging marker of preclinical dementia?
• ISAO research grant (€ 100,000) – co-investigator. (2013-2018)
DTI-connectivity and incident Alzheimer's disease
• VPH-DARE-IT (€ 13,495,000 for consortium; €954,000 for Erasmus MC) – co-investigator. (2013-2017)
Dementia Research Enabled by IT (FP7 framework)
• STW perspective (€ 5,000,000 for consortium; €745,000 for Erasmus MC) – co-investigator. (2013-2018)
ImaGene: Imaging Genetics
• ZonMw clinical fellowship (€ 160,000) – principal investigator. (2012-2017)
Functional brain connectivity: a new imaging marker of preclinical dementia?.
• MRACE grant (€ 150,000) – co-investigator. (2012-2016)
The role of white matter connectivity in dementia: an epidemiologic approach
• Erasmus MC Fellowship Grant (€ 400,000) – principal investigator. (2011-2016) Clinical
relevance of cerebral microbleeds
• Alzheimer’s Association New Investigator Research Grant ($80,000) - principal investigator. (Oct 2009-2011)
