Welcome to the 2023 Annual Report of the
Department of Human Genetics at Amsterdam UMC
As we reflect on the year, we are grateful for the dedication and innovative spirit of our entire team. Despite the ongoing challenges, every member has contributed significantly, ensuring that our department not only continues to thrive but also substantially benefits both the broader community and Amsterdam UMC.
This report not only showcases the prestigious awards and grants our department has won but also highlights the diagnostic, clinical, and research accomplishments we have achieved together. Join us as we celebrate our collective successes and explore more about our impactful work through the detailed insights and key figures.
I am also very pleased to share this foreword with Prof. Erik Sistermans, the newly appointed Head of the Department of Human Genetics. Erik is well-acquainted with the department and has been a familiar face in clinical genetics across the Netherlands for many years. With his extensive experience and knowledge, I am confident that he will lead the department towards a promising future – a future that will undoubtedly be as dynamic as the past 40 years that I have experienced. “Never a dull moment.” Though I will step back, I will continue to watch the department’s progress with great interest and wish everyone a truly fantastic working environment.
Prof. M.M.A.M. Mannens, ad interim Head of the Department of Human Genetics 2022-2024, Amsterdam UMC.
In my first preface as the Head of the Department of Human Genetics, I pay tribute to my predecessor. Prof. Marcel Mannens was already retired when he was called upon to lead the department after Prof. Hans Meij assumed another position within Amsterdam UMC. Despite having plans to finally tackle that big garden in Almere properly as a pensionado, Marcel agreed. The department’s interests outweighed his own and that garden would have to wait. After all, it would only be temporary, until a new department head was found. How long could something like that take?
Quite a long time, we now know. Without grumbling, Marcel devoted two more years to serving as Head of our department. Formally, he could have confined himself to the minimal tasks necessary for the department’s operation, but Marcel knew that this was not possible. In the Department of Human Genetics, where the field changes daily due to major technological breakthroughs, to stand still is to move backwards. Under his inspiring leadership, we did not stand still but made dynamic progress forward. For this, we are profoundly grateful.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Marcel enormously for all the energy and love he has poured into this department over many years. And in addition, I wish him the peace to fully enjoy his retirement, whether in the garden or elsewhere. I will do my best to continue his distinguished legacy.
Prof. E.A. Sistermans, Head of the Department of Human Genetics as of June 1, 2024, Amsterdam UMC.
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