Prof. Dr. Tamar Nijsten completed his medical school, dermatology residency, and defended his PhD at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). During his PhD in dermato-epidemiology, he was supervised by Prof. Dr. Robert Stern (Harvard Medical School). In the following years, Tamar established a dermato-epidemiology group at the Department of Dermatology Erasmus MC (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), resulting in a full professorship in dermatology in 2012 and a chair position in 2014. He has been President of the Dutch Society of Dermatology for four years. Since 2019, he has been the chair of the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute and the Clinical Director of the Children’s Hospital Sophia at the Erasmus MC.

The dermato-epidemiology research group of Tamar Nijsten consists of more than a dozen PhD students, several post-docs, and academic dermatologists. They apply epidemiology, public health, and clinical research principles on various skin conditions ranging from psoriasis, and varicose veins, to skin aging and cancer. The data sources are nationally routinely collected pharmacy and claim data, national cancer registry, population-based cohorts, or clinical cohorts. The goal has always been to deliver high-quality research introducing new concepts and methodologies to directly improve patient care and contribute to better organization of care.

Tamar Nijsten published over 375 peer-reviewed international papers in 2020 (H-index 60 – 80). He has given invited lectures at many international meetings, including the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR), and the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID), and at numerous national society meetings. He has received multiple grants from The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), including a personal Vidi grant in 2010. He was section editor of epidemiology for eight years for the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and holds this position currently for the British Journal of Dermatology.