Eric Vermetten

Prof. dr. H.G.J.M. (Eric) Vermetten MD, PhD Colonel

Eric Vermetten is professor Medical-Biological and Psychiatric Aspects of Psychotrauma, LUMC/University of Leiden.  The chair was established by Arq Psychotrauma Research and the Dutch Ministry of Defence.

Eric Vermetten is psychiatrist at the MGGZ in Utrecht (Military Mental Health care). From 1991 he has been linked to several universities as a researcher, including Stanford University, California, Yale Univ, New Haven CT, Emory Univ, Atlanta, and studied at the University of Maastricht and followed several postgraduate courses. In 2003, Eric was promoted on Posttraumatic Stress Disorders: Neurobiological Studies in the Aftermath of Traumatic Stress at the University of Utrecht. His promoters were: H.G.J. Westenberg, PhD and R. S. Kahn, MD, PhD; co-promotor was J.D. Bremner, MD.

Vermetten considers PTSD a heterogeneous disorder, with different contributions of neurobiological systems and circuits. Also he is convinced that longitudinal cohort studies, more than research with cross-sectional designs, is important to obtain knowledge breakthroughs. And assumes that in the psychotraumatology computer-assisted technology, the patient can give more influence on therapeutic - and care processes.

Other research activities

• Expansion of knowledge in the field of longitudinal studies, where possible in an international context, with Defence Partners including Canada, Australia and USA;
• Validation of the dissociative subtype of PTSD, including in relation to peripheral hormonal markers;
• Deepening knowledge about opportunities for sleep registration during imaging, with ao Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Germany;
• Prosecution of employability of innovative high-end treatment modules, which have been launched in collaboration with resp. MRC Doorn and Delft University of Technology and University of Twente.