Prof. Mieke van Haelst is Head of Clinical Genetics at the Department of Human Genetics, Amsterdam University Medical Centers. After her specialist training at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, she worked as a clinical geneticist in London and Utrecht. Her translational research focusses on the identification of (novel) gene defects and unravelling the pathogenicity obesity-related disorders. As co-director of Emma Center for Personalized Medicine at Amsterdam UMC, she works on the identification and understanding of causal (epi)genetic factors that result in rare diseases. She integrates knowledge and methods of diverse disciplines to accelerate the development of personalized treatment for rare genetic disorders. She has established genetic clinics, research, and education programs at the pediatric departments in the Dutch Caribbean and aims to provide equal genetic care for diverse populations. Together with co-editor Erica van den Akker, she established the Dutch national center of expertise for genetic obesity disorders.
Prof Erica van den Akker is head of the division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Erasmus University Medical Center Sophia Children’s Hospital, lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She is co-founder of Obesity Clinic CGG, which is an accredited EASO Center of Management for diagnosis and treatment of children and adults with obesity and an NFU accredited center of expertise for genetic obesity. The center is national referral center for patients with genetic obesity. Van den Akker is chair of the project group for the global guideline on endocrine aspects of diagnostics and treatment of obesity in children and adolescents. She is coordinator of the ESPE working group on obesity and active member in the European Reference Network EndoERN.