Short CV

Karin van der Hiele obtained her master’s degree in cognitive psychology at Leiden University in 1999 (cum laude). She continued her studies at the Eindhoven University of Technology where she obtained a Professional Doctorate in Engineering in the field of user-system interaction (2001).

After working as a user researcher for a year, she started as a PhD student at Leiden University Medical Centre (neurology) and Leiden University (psychology) in 2003. She was also active as a neuropsychologist at the memory clinic of the Leiden University Medical Centre. In 2007 she finished her dissertation entitled: ‘EEG markers of cognitive decline and dementia’.

Since 2008 she is employed as an assistant professor neuropsychology at Leiden University. While working at Leiden University, Karin has also worked as a researcher for the Dutch National MS Foundation and as a (neuro)psychologist at Basalt Rehabilitation.

Research

Karin van der Hiele’s current research interest concerns work participation in patients with a chronic neurological disorder, such as multiple sclerosis and migraine. Work participation is very important for a person’s quality of life and has great societal value. Karin is interested in examining what factors enable work participation and work functioning, and in treating work-related challenges. She coordinated a three-year study into predictors of employment status and work absenteeism in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS@Work study), in collaboration with the Dutch National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.The project was embedded within the TopZorg programme of the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital (lead by prof. Leo Visser). 

Karin is currently involved as a senior researcher within the ''Don't be Late'' project (a Dutch National Research Agenda project lead by prof. Hanneke Hulst). This project is (among others) aimed at examining the effects of a lifestyle intervention and a work coach intervention in improving quality of life in persons with multiple sclerosis with mild cognitive problems.

Karin is the scientific supervisor of Kamala Broekman (Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland) who is examining the effectiveness of EMDR in managing epilepsy-related anxiety in patients with epilepsy.

Teaching

• Internship coordinator Master Clinical Neuropsychology
• Coordinator Bachelor course ''Clinical Neuropsychology''
• Co-coordinator Master course ''Intervention strategies in Clinical Neuropsychology''
• Lecturer in Bachelor and Master courses in Clinical Neuropsychology
• Thesis supervisor

Grants

• Nationale Wetenschapsagenda (NWA) (2020). Don’t be late! Postponing cognitive decline and preventing early unemployment in patients with multiple sclerosis (1.6 M Euro), co-applicant and co-work package leader.
• National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (2019). Psychological predictors of work functioning patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (117.982 Euro), co-applicant.
• Teva Pharmaceuticals (2016). A prospective study on employment status and work absenteeism in healthy individuals. (26.965 Euro), co-applicant 
• ZonMw TopZorg grant (2015). Patient perspectives on cognition, employment status and work absenteeism in relapsing-remitting Multiple Scerosis. (402.835 Euro), co-applicant
• Teva Pharmaceuticals (2014). MS Choices study (27.000 Euro), co-applicant
• Teva Pharmaceuticals (2013). Employment status and work absenteeism in relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (200.000 Euro), co-applicant
• Grants for meetings
   

Supervised PhD candidates

• S. Saddal, Don’t be late! The effect of a work coaching intervention on quality of life and work outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis. 2022-present time
• J. Aarts, Don’t be late! The effect of a lifestyle intervention on quality of life, cognition, and brain measures in people with multiple sclerosis. 2022- present time
• E.E.A. van Egmond, Psychological predictors of work functioning patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, 2020-present time. 
• D.A.M. van Gorp, Predictors of employment status and work absenteeism in relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS@Work study), 2015-present time.

Registrations

• Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO) 
• Basic course in regulation and organisation of clinical research (BROK) 

Publications