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I’m Dick Thijssen, born in Boxmeer and raised in Sambeek (a small town close to Boxmeer). I am Professor in Cardiovascular Physiology at the Department of Physiology. My research falls under the research theme ‘Vascular Damage’. In addition to my work in Nijmegen, I also hold a position as professor in Cardiovascular Physiology and Exercise at the Liverpool John Moores University.
Where do you live?
I currently live in Gennep, together with my wife Susanne and our three children Aafke, Bram and Wout.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your childhood years?
Having no sense of reality, I grew up to be the next Dennis Bergkamp. Reflecting on this, our similarity really stopped after our shared first letter of our first name. Nonetheless, it did keep me off the street (and on the grass) during my childhood years. Most importantly, it has built some friendships that last until today.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I was initially trained as a physiotherapist. My favourite part of being a physiotherapist was understanding the underlying mechanisms of disease and trying to set the diagnosis. For this reason, I decided to study Biomedical Science in Nijmegen in 2000. All parts of research really excited me, so I managed to get a PhD-studentship at the Department of Physiology. This was followed by a postdoc in Liverpool in 2007. So, the past 15 years I have split my time and research between Nijmegen and Liverpool.
Which of your research discoveries are you most proud of?
This is and will always be: my latest discovery! In this case, a study in which we showed in patients with stable angina complaints that cardiac rehabilitation outperforms surgical stent-placement for 18-month survival and morbidity. This suggests that (cheaper) conservative treatment with cardiac rehabilitation has better outcomes than surgically treating the local stenosis.
When looking back, I’m very proud of the work I’ve done that revealed why exercise training and less sitting protects against cardiovascular disease. These benefits go well beyond the relatively minor effects of training on traditional risk factors. In fact, exercise helps to protect against cardiovascular disease because it immediately improves the function and structure of arteries and the heart.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
The most important scientific challenge for the coming years is Fit4Future. Key is that we take the opportunity to make this into a success and make sure that we have.
If you could choose any mentor, who would it be?
Although not feasible anymore, I would choose Nelson Mandela. His struggle and leadership for freedom, equality and justice is impressive. Staying true to his beliefs and ideals, despite the way he (and many others) was treated by individuals and the system, is simply amazing.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
Finally an easy question: patients. I like taking a detour via ‘molecules’, or sometimes through the ‘population’-route, but it always ends up with bringing innovation and new insights to the individual patient.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
The scientific community should steer away from the widely adopted “4-year cycle view”. Research projects are typically set-up around the traditional, widely adopted 4-year cycle that ends with a PhD-success. As a result, the most interesting follow-up measurement of an intervention, the implementation of a novel device, or translation of a pre-clinical observation cannot be performed as time ran out and the PhD-candidate disappeared from science. This “4-year cycle view” restricts many researchers from thinking big and aiming for a ‘real’ impact.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
The obvious answer is ‘no’, I very much like my sleep, although I would appreciate it that you wake me up in case of a fire. Alternatively, you can wake me up in the middle of the night for the Champions League-final Ajax-Liverpool FC.
What is the thing that irritates you most?
If someone demonstrates an obvious lack of interest or effort.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
This would probably be Sir Paul McCartney. I acknowledge that I’m biased because my link with Liverpool. Nonetheless, he is a true multi-talent, having a huge impact on contemporary (cultural) history, and comes across as a very kind and down-to-earth person. One of the few on our planet who is ‘larger than life’. Must be fascinating to speak to him.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
Playing futsal (which can be combined with catching up with some friend) or going for a run (combined with listening to music).
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Keep your curiosity and keep questioning. Once you stop questioning, you stop growing and keep others from growing.
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
I strongly prefer the position behind the camera….so, I really struggled to find a picture of myself, until I stumbled across this one. It was taken during a Summer school I organized in Oman to train healthcare workers in prescribing lifestyle interventions. Because of this, we were invited to visit the minister of Health from Oman for a chat, exchange of gifts (he got a lousy Liverpool John Moores University-pen, I got a great book with beautiful pictures of Oman….), and to make some pictures. A bizarre experience, also because we found one of these pictures being published in the national Oman newspaper the day after (see above).
