Sanne de Vries is Professor by special appointment. She is also chair of the Medical Delta and professor in Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment at the The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Sanne has received several awards for her work, including the Pim Breebaart Research Award, Professor of the Year, the NKS Boyman Prize, thesis award from the Dutch Association of Human Movement Sciences, and the award for "Excellent Researcher at TNO" (first edition) presented by Maria van der Hoeven, Minister of Education, Culture and Science. In 2023, she was appointed as Medical Delta professor.

More information about Sanne de Vries

Sanne de Vries is Professor by special appointment.

She is also chair of the Medical Delta and professor in Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment at the The Hague University of Applied Sciences.

Sanne has received several awards for her work, including the Pim Breebaart Research Award, Professor of the Year, the NKS Boyman Prize, thesis award from the Dutch Association of Human Movement Sciences, and the award for "Excellent Researcher at TNO" (first edition) presented by Maria van der Hoeven, Minister of Education, Culture and Science. In 2023, she was appointed as Medical Delta professor.

Physical activity in childhood: foundations for a healthy generation

Two out of five children and three out of five adolescents do not exercise enough to stay healthy and fit in the long term. This lack of physical activity has far-reaching consequences: from an increased risk of obesity and psychosocial problems to lower academic performance and impaired social development.

We live in a society where sedentary behavior has become the norm. To reverse this trend, more knowledge and innovations are needed to support youth in developing and maintaining an active lifestyle. With her chair, Sanne aims to increase our understanding of (the interaction between) multiple factors and actors, underlying mechanisms, and key transition points that influence physical activity in childhood. She also aims to develop, evaluate, and implement integrated strategies and (just-in-time, adaptive) interventions to promote physical activity. The following focus areas can be distinguished within her chair: Development of physical literacy; Initiating and maintaining sufficient physical activity during various transitions in childhood; and Creating an activity-friendly environment. With the new insights, strategies and interventions to promote physical activity in childhood, De Vries wants to contribute to a sustainable improvement in population health and the reduction of health inequalities.

Academic career

Sanne de Vries graduated as a Human Movement Scientist and Epidemiologist at the VU University Amsterdam. She began her academic career with fundamental scientific research at VU University Amsterdam (2001-2002), followed by applied research at TNO (2002-2015). As an external PhD candidate, Sanne obtained her PhD in Social Medicine at the VU University Amsterdam in 2009 with her thesis entitled: "Activity-friendly neighborhoods for children: measurement of physical activity and environmental correlates." In 2013, she transitioned to higher professional education as a Professor (lector) in Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, increasing the societal impact of her work (2013-present). From 2020-2025, she combined this role with a role as leading professor and director of the Center of Expertise Health Innovation at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, and from 2022-2025 as associate professor at LUMC Health Campus The Hague. This combination of roles led to her appointment as Medical Delta professor in 2023 and, in 2025, as chair and director of Medical Delta.

Her inaugural address is scheduled for 2026.