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Wikipedia Berent Prakken

Berent Prakken (MD, PhD) is vice-dean and director of the biomedical education centre at the Utrecht Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), the Netherlands. He is also professor of pediatric immunology at the UMCU and honorary professor at the University of Ghent, Belgium. Berent Prakken has built a translational research lab that focused on regulation of inflammation and biomarker development in human in inflammatory diseases. He received numerous national and international awards and grants for his work. The work of his group is published in all major international journals, including Nature Medicine, PNAS, Immunity, the Lancet, JCI and in various Nature journals. Over the years he successfully mentored more than 40 PhD students. Prakken serves in various national and international research advisory boards and was member of the Dutch National Health Council (‘Gezondheidsraad’).  He was vice-chair of Medical Ethical Review Board (IRB) of the UMCU. Berent Prakken is president of the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PRES) and member of the EULAR executive committee. He is member of the steering committee of UCAN (international federation facilitating biological research in arthritis) and has set up the first international platform for biological studies in arthritis (UCAN-U, www.ucan-u.org). Berent Prakken’s personal commitment is to training & education and to improve the impact of science. Unconventional thinking, collaboration and crossing boundaries inspire him.

International profile (current positions)

• President of the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PRES, http://www.pres.eu)

• Member of the EULAR executive committee (http://www.eular.org)

• Scientific director of the Eureka Institute (www.eurekainstitute.org).

• Steering committee of UCAN (http://ucanetwork.com)

• Founder and Chair of the first international platform for biological studies in arthritis (UCAN-U, www.ucan-u.org)

• Coordinator of EUTRAIN (see above) and partner in EU FP7 projects MIAMI, MD-Pedigree; TREAT-AID and PHARMACHILD

• Scientific Advisory Board Center for Therapeutic Target validation (CTTV; https://www.targetvalidation.org)

• Scientific Advisory Board SAFE-PEDRUG project Vlaams Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen

• Scientific Advisory Board Manchester MSK BRU National Institute for Health Research

• Scientific Advisory Board FOREUM Foundation for Research in Rheumatology

Scientific Profile

• Co-chair of the clinical section of the Laboratory of Translational Immunology, UMCU

• Co-chair of translational research group in pediatric inflammatory diseases (±15 FTE)

• Executive committee of the focus area’s Child Health and Infection & Immunity.

• Recipient of various prestigious national and international honorary lectures, awards and grants including VENI and VIDI awards for BP and his lab members

• Chair of international core facility for biomarkers and the luminex technology (Including past core for Immune Tolerance Network of the NIH)

• Regular invited speaker at major international scientific meetings

• Associate editor of the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (nr 1 journal in Rheumatology; IF 12.4)

• Author of over 200 articles[1] in international journals, including Nature Medicine, Lancet, PNAS, J Exp Med, Immunity and JCI

• Promotor of 51 PhD students

• Vice-chair of the Institutional Ethics Review Board (2013-2015)

• Acting Dean University Medical Center Utrecht (2019)

2016 - Dunlop Dottridge lecture, Canadian Rheumatology Association

2013 - Abe Shore lecture, University of Toronto

2005 - Jonxis penning and lecture University Medical Centre Groningen

2003 - Ter Meulen Lecture Dutch Society of Paediatrics

2001 - Kourir Award (European Society For Paediatric Rheumatology)

1997 - Young Investigators Award Dutch Society of Paediatrics

1996 - Cum Laude Thesis (University of Utrecht)