After leading Cochrane Netherlands for 17 years, Professor Rob Scholten has stepped down as its Director.
Since taking on leadership of the Dutch Cochrane Centre in 2001 (first being based at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, and from 2014 at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care in Utrecht), Rob has authored many Cochrane reviews and has been enormously successful in developing Cochrane’s work in the Netherlands, collaborating with various national and international researchers. The Centre now provides training in systematic reviews and evidence-informed medicine at the Utrecht Medical Center and to other stakeholders in collaboration with a range of partner organizations, including the World Health Organization.
Rob also developed partnerships with a range of partners and contributed to committees of organisations of relevance to evidence-based health care in the Netherlands, including ZonMW (the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development), the Gezondheidsraad (Health Council of the Netherlands) and the Zorginstituut (National Health Care Institute). In addition, over many years, Cochrane Netherlands has contributed short summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews to the NTvG (the Dutch Journal of Medicine).
As part of the international Cochrane community, Rob played an important role in the work on Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DTA) reviews. He still is a member of the Cochrane DTA Editorial Team, and contributes substantially to the work on the Cochrane DTA Handbook. He was also a member of the Cochrane Steering Group (from 2004 to 2007) representing Centre Directors; and he has contributed to many Centre Director meetings. Furthermore, since 2004, Cochrane Netherlands has played host to the Netherlands Trial Register, which is an WHO approved primary register.
Rob continues to be passionate about evidence-based research that develops and refines methods for systematic reviews and meta-analysis; selective publication and selective outcome reporting; and methods to improve the interpretation and presentation of systematic review results. For all Dutch speaking people, Rob is remembered as the driving force behind the ‘Dutch borrel’ during the annual Cochrane Colloquia with all Dutch speaking Cochranites!
Cochrane’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Wilson, said: ‘I would sincerely like to thank Rob for his outstanding contributions to Cochrane’s work over the last two decades. Cochrane Netherlands was one of the first Cochrane Centres to be established in 1994, and under Rob’s leadership its impact in improving research methodologies, developing deep international partnerships with international organisations, combined with their continued development of Cochrane authors, has been formidable. The work of Rob and his team over the last 17 years has expanded the scope, reach, and impact of Cochrane activities on health and healthcare decision making across the world. And all of this has been achieved with a graciousness, generosity of spirit, conscientiousness and dry humour that has made Rob a beloved Cochrane collaborator to so many of us. On behalf of all of your Cochrane colleagues and friends, we thank you, Rob, and wish you every success and happiness for the future.”
Cochrane Netherlands will be led under the new Directorship of Dr. Lotty Hooft. Lotty is Associate professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Julius Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, and has supported Rob as deputy Director of Cochrane Netherlands since 2013 and as Co-Director from October 2016.