Very favorable nomination report
In the nomination report, the jury is very enthusiastic about Iris Sommer’s research:
‘Iris Sommer has been a phenomenon in Dutch psychiatry for years. She is an international expert in neuropsychiatry and is known for her research into schizophrenia and her work at the Stemmenpoli. Sommer is still active as a practitioner and she also carries out pioneering work as a researcher. She focuses, among other things, on the surprising fact that the female brain is much less well researched than the male brain. This fact regularly leads to incorrect diagnoses and therefore to inadequate treatment, with all the dramatic consequences that entails.
One of Sommer’s most important findings is that female hormones (such as oestrogens) play a major protective role in psychotic disorders. While often prescribed antipsychotics appear to suppress the production of oestrogens. It goes without saying that this is very harmful for female patients. With this important insight, Sommer has created new treatment guidelines for the care of women with psychotic disorders, and has significantly improved the treatment perspectives of female patients. That is a major achievement.
Sommer became a member of De Jonge Akademie at a young age, and the jury is impressed by the high quality of her work. Not only her scientific achievements command respect, her ability to explain her findings to a wide audience is also very striking. Books such as The Women’s Brain, Haperende Brain and Voices Hearing found their way to many thousands of readers. In that sense, Sommer is a figurehead of her field and a worthy ambassador of psychiatry’.
More information about Iris Sommer is here of here to find.
You can also listen to a podcast from The University of the Netherlands with Iris Sommer, in which she talks about her research.
Huibregtsenprijs
The Huibregtsen Prize was established in 2005 by the board of the Evening of Science & Society Foundation and is named after the founder of the Evening of Science & Society, Mickey Huibregtsen, who passed away earlier this year. The prize goes to a recent research project that combines scientific quality and innovation with special social added value or outreach.
The winner of the Huibregtsen Prize will receive a sculpture, ‘The Thinker’, by visual artist Wil van der Laan, a cash prize of € 25,000, intended for research activities, and a workshop, offered by the Lorentz Center in Leiden.
More information about the Huibregtsen Prize is here to find.
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