Last year, TNO Principal Scientist Geert Houben was appointed Professor “Food-borne Risk Factors for Allergic and Inflammatory Diseases” at the faculty of Medicine at the Utrecht University and the University Medical Center Utrecht. On 8 May 2018, Geert pronounced his inaugural speech to formally accept his office as Professor.
Besides an overview of his past work and achievements, Geert described his current and future research focus and ambitions. His chair aims to gain a better insight into the risk factors in our food that play a role, and how they play a role, in allergic diseases and inflammatory diseases and on this basis find starting points for better prevention, diagnosis, therapy and management of these diseases.
The Allergen Bureau congratulate Professor Houben on this appointment and extend our gratitude for the global contribution Geert has made to food allergen science
Professor Houben is a member of the Allergen Bureau VITAL® Scientific Expert Panel (VSEP). The VSEP review the underpinning science around food allergen thresholds and the Reference Doses established by the VSEP support the current VITAL Program Version 2.0. See VITAL Science for more detail on the VSEP and Reference Doses publications.
In Professor Houben’s inaugural speech, the Allergen Bureau is pleased to note the recognition of the efforts and achievements of the VSEP, particularly the first VSEP meeting in Sydney in 2010. Says Geert, “During the more than 24-hour trip to Sydney I was thinking, ‘what can we achieve in 2 days?’ But those 2 days are among the most inspiring days of my entire career so far”. “We went home with some homework and about a year later the guidance was a fact”.
An English translation of the inaugural speech can be found here: Inaugural speech Geert Houben.
Source. SPR Food Allergy https://www.srpfoodallergy.com/
