4 Impact Leaders explore opportunities in Dutch mental healthcare research
What is the impact of 10 years of research into Dutch mental healthcare? How can we take gathered insights further? What are future opportunities? To answer these questions, the ZonMw Mental Health Research programme has appointed 4 Impact Leaders, divided over 4 subjects: Youth, Empowering Patients, Digital Health, and Preventing Escalation.
Impact Leaders join forces
The Impact Leaders will focus on collecting and connecting insights from multiple projects that have been funded by ZonMw. They do this from the perspective of their own (prior) research, as well as by looking at related studies and other developments within the Dutch mental health field. The Impact Leaders are:
- Patty Leijten for the subject Youth
- Edwin van Dellen for the subject Digital Health
- Tim van de Grift for the subject Preventing Escalation
- Derek de Beurs for the subject Empowering Patients
The impact leaders have been appointed a ZonMw grant, and will take on their impact leader duties for 1 year. They will work closely together amongst each other, with other ZonMw projects, and with Dutch mental health partners.
‘Connection between research and mental healthcare is crucial’
The Mental Health Research programme will end this year. The 4 Impact Leaders will primarily utilise and synthesize knowledge from over 120 studies that have been funded by this ZonMw programme in the past 10 years. ‘To push results even further and explore unused opportunities, the connection between research and mental healthcare practices is crucial. Of course, the projects that received grants from ZonMw, have all done that individually. But what the Impact Leaders can bring is a more comprehensive approach,’ explains Marieke Begemann, Senior programme manager at ZonMw. ‘A part of their task is to make new connections. It is exciting to see that the Impact Leaders have all come up with different strategies to reach this goal. They make a great team.’
Future mental healthcare research in the Netherlands
Besides collecting and disseminating results, the Impact Leaders will form connections with those who work within the field, e.g. project leaders, clients and mental health experts. In the coming year, the Impact Leaders will each write a detailed description on their subject and recommendations for future directions. Herein, they will present the most up-to-date insights, important developments in the research landscape, and possible future opportunities. ‘We will consult these recommendations when making concrete plans for the future of the Mental Health Research programme. In this way, we hope to create a more fitting follow-up programme,’ explains Begemann. ‘We will share their reports on our website, so that everyone can read them and be inspired. We expect to be able to publish these in the spring of 2026.’
Impact of 10 years of research into Dutch mental healthcare
There are also other ways ZonMw will pay attention to and improve upon the results of the Mental Health Research programme. This April, the magazine ‘IMPACT – 10 years of doing research into Dutch mental healthcare’ appeared. People who were involved in studies give testimony to the impact of research into Dutch mental healthcare. Professionals explain what they do differently in their practices based on newly gained knowledge. Study participants explain what helpful insights they have gathered. People with lived experience give insight into the process of helping to assess grant applications. The magazine was launched during the Dutch Association of Psychiatrists’ spring congress of April 9th. There is both a digital and a paper version.
More information
Do you want to know more details about the Impact Leaders? Read their stories below!
Patty Leijten - Impact Leader Youth
Patty Leijten is the Impact Leader for the subject Youth. She has ample experience with studying how mental healthcare is arranged for young persons. Unsurprisingly, she is determined to reach her goal: ‘This is a great opportunity to bundle the insights that have resulted from all the projects funded by this programme. There is still too much fragmentation.’ She is set to involve young persons and their parents when prioritizing and translating research results into recommendations for clinical practice. ‘Using the network that I have built up over the years, we will make sure that the gathered knowledge benefits the people whom it concerns.’
Read more about Patty Leijten – Impact Leader Youth
Derek de Beurs – Impact Leader Empowering Patients
Derek de Beurs is both a researcher and an impact specialist, and is now also an Impact Leader for the subject Empowering Patients. ‘Research shows that empowering patients leads to better treatment results and more satisfaction among patients,’ he explains. ‘The Mental Health Research programme has generated ample results concerning the empowerment of patients in the healthcare process. Utilizing and disseminating this knowledge is essential to support both clients and mental healthcare practitioners in ameliorating patients’ autonomy and resilience.’
View the project page of Derek de Beurs – Impact Leader Empowering Patients
Edwin van Dellen – Impact Leader Digital Health
Edwin van Dellen takes on the subject Digital Health. He identifies a paradox: ‘On the one hand, people are overly optimistic about digital innovations. On the other hand, too much skepticism still stifles innovations and hinders the broad application of these technologies.’ A proposed solution to propel the implementation of project results is to make use of a multidisciplinary approach. ‘By actively disseminating knowledge, initiating ethical discussions, and activating target audiences, I aim for more effective implementation and a bigger impact of digital healthcare solutions within Dutch mental healthcare.
Read more about Edwin van Dellen – Impact Leader Digital Health
Tim van de Grift – Impact Leader Preventing Escalation
Tim van de Grift is dedicated to the theme Preventing Escalation (including the combating of waiting lists). Through his own experiences in studying this theme, he recognises the problems: 'Even though it is broadly recognised that early treatment of mental health problems leads to less burden of disease, lower healthcare costs, and better societal functioning, finding fitting mental healthcare remains challenging for Dutch patients.’ Van de Grift will use visual representations so that he can optimally illustrate his project and make his results as accessible as possible.
Read more about Tim van de Grift – Impact Leader Preventing Escalation