Dr. H.C.P.M. van Weert (1955) has been appointed Professor of General Medical Practice at the Faculty of Medicine (AMC-UvA) of the University of Amsterdam.

Henk van Weert wants the General Medical Practice department to become firmly established in both the region and in the AMC-UvA, and to be seen by general practitioners and specialists as a knowledge centre where they can go with questions and ideas. His research is focused on improving the substantive quality of general practice. Van Weert focuses primarily on diagnosis and his preference is for topics directly relevant to practice. In the past, he has conducted research into the diagnosis of, among other things, eye infections, heart arrhythmias, and thrombosis. Evidence drawn from general practice research is the basis for his teaching. This evidence is, however, frequently lacking and then (family) doctors have to be able to come to a decision using effective clinical reasoning, with the patient’s unique situation being the central factor. Apart from medical decision theory, consultation skills also play an important role in this process.

Van Weert was previously Associate Professor of General Medical Practice at the AMC-UvA. He is a member of the Dutch Heart Foundation’s scientific advisory board for prevention and chairman of the Kidney Foundation’s advisory board for prevention. Van Weert is editor in chief of Huisarts en Wetenschap (General Practitioner and Science) and member of the editorial staff of the European Journal of General Practice. He has published articles in various scientific journals including the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Annals of Internal Medicine and the British Medical Journal.