Prof. Karin Proper is one of RIVM’s two chief science officers (CSO) and a senior scientist and projectleader in the field of work and health. Additionally, she is endowed professor of Health Promotion and Policy in the Occupational Context at Amsterdam UMC. Her research has a focus on the health effects of working conditions, with specific attention to the role of lifestyle (physical activity and sedentary lifestyle) in the relation between work and health. She conducts research into the development, evaluation and implementation of interventions. Specific topics of her research involve night work, working from home, informal care and work, menopause symptoms, mental health, physical activity and sedentary behaviour and occupational health.
Through her work, Proper aims to contribute to the health and sustainable employability of the workforce, from preventing work-related health problems to ensuring appropriate care. She studied Human Movement Studies at the University of Groningen and wrote her doctoral thesis on the (cost-)effectiveness of workplace physical activity programmes. She also obtained a post-doctoral degree in epidemiology. After having worked for TNO, the University of Queensland and Amsterdam UMC, she joined RIVM in 2010. She bridges the gaps between science, policy and practice, among other things by serving as coordinator of the Occupational Health Platform and the Care and Work Network. In her role as CSO, she is delegated commissioning client of RIVM’s Strategic Programme for research, innovation and knowledge development in anticipation of the demands of tomorrow.
Areas of expertise
- Work and health
- Health promotion in the occupational context
- Occupational health
- Epidemiology
Additional functions
- Endowed professor at Amsterdam UMC and VU Amsterdam
- Chair of the ICOH Scientific Committee Aging & Work
- Associate editor of BMC Public Health
Publications
Publications can be found at PURE Amsterdam UMC.