Maastricht University awards honorary doctorate to Jaap van Dissel
Maastricht University is awarding an honorary doctorate to Jaap van Dissel, professor of internal medicine at Leiden University and director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Control at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Van Dissel is to receive the honorary doctorate for combining scientific work with a public role, and moreover on a topic of great importance in turbulent times. In this role he communicates scientific insights from his field to a wide audience. The honorary doctorate will be awarded on Maastricht University’s foundation day on Friday 29 January 2021.
As chairman of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), Jaap van Dissel has made consistent efforts throughout the corona crisis to explain the scientific basis of the OMT’s advice as clearly as possible. Maastricht University has noted this merit from the start of the crisis: the idea to award an honorary doctorate to Jaap van Dissel arose in late spring 2020 and has been approved by the Executive Board, the University Council and the Board of Deans.
Science as a beacon and compass
‘As chairman of the Outbreak Management Team, Jaap van Dissel plays a central role in the corona crisis,’ says Christian Hoebe, honorary supervisor and professor of infectious disease control at Maastricht University. ‘Thanks to him, science is an important beacon and compass for the cabinet. Never before has so much attention been paid to the field of infectious disease on a daily basis. Everyone now knows the meaning of the terms droplet infection, reproduction number, contact tracing and transmission thanks to Van Dissel’s briefings: lectures for the entire country. Steadfast and calm amidst the waves of the pandemic. An exceptional achievement. This honorary doctorate is well deserved.’
Recognition and Appreciation
The award of an honorary doctorate to Jaap van Dissel is fitting to the theme that Maastricht University has chosen for its 2021 foundation day: ‘Recognition and Rewards’. ‘Through the “Recognition and Rewards” movement, we will be giving space to the different talents that a university needs within the fields of research, education, impact, leadership and patient care, and also offering people career prospects in these areas,’ says Rector Rianne Letschert. ‘It’s a great honour for me to offer Jaap van Dissel an honorary doctorate in this context: like no other, he is a symbol of how a scientist can fulfil a role with huge impact on society. This is certainly worthy of our recognition and rewards.’
The honorary doctorate will be awarded during the celebrations of Maastricht University’s foundation day (Dies Natalis) on Friday 29 January 2021. Due to the corona measures, the programme will be adapted: it will be possible to watch the event via a live stream, including the presentation of the honorary doctorate. In 2021 the university will be celebrating its 45th anniversary.
On 29 January 2021 the foundation day celebrations and the presentation of the honorary doctorate to Jaap van Dissel will be live-streamed: https://youtu.be/m9Z6j3vfRek.
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