Andrea Evers is Professor of Health Psychology at the Institute of Psychology. Her research focuses on psychoneurobiological factors, such as stress and expectations, in health and disease. She is connected to Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University in Rotterdam as Medical Delta professor, in which she is committed to researching the theme 'Healthy Society'.

More information about Andrea Evers

News

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  13 November 2024 Language that comforts: The power of communication in healthcare
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  13 October 2024 'It’s the complexity of this group of patients that makes the challenge of improving their quality of life so interesting’
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  09 September 2024 Prepared for pain? The impact of the nocebo effect on people with chronic pain
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  23 January 2024 'There's nothing more we can do for you': new publication on harmful communication in oncology
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  04 July 2023 Professor Andrea Evers appointed member of the Scientific Council for Government
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  28 June 2023 Funding for four Leiden studies in the fight against arthritis
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  14 April 2023 New centre of expertise makes placebo research accessible for healthcare and society
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  21 March 2023 How can we live healthier lives? Universities and hospitals are going to find out
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  03 March 2023 Better health begins close to home (and not in the doctor’s surgery)
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  12 January 2023 Healthy soil for a healthy gut
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  09 January 2023 Psychology Awards 2022
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  16 November 2022 Tackle debt with healthcare funds: researchers on a healthier society for all
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  10 November 2022 Leiden Healthy Society Center: making Leiden the healthiest city in the Netherlands
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  31 August 2022 Draw on behavioural science for a healthy lifestyle
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  25 August 2022 Andrea Evers in the media about the corona measures and behaviour
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  14 July 2022 Behavioural expertise needed for lifestyle change
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  20 June 2022 Psychology Science Day 2022
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  13 June 2022 Healthy Society Event: lots of inspiration exchanged about societal wellbeing and social sciences
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  05 April 2022 Knowledge to the neighbourhood about the placebo effect
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  04 April 2022 Ten lessons on making an impact: ‘What dilemmas will you face?’
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  31 March 2022 Better treatment of skin diseases thanks to NWA grant of 11.7 million euros
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  04 February 2022 Andrea Evers’ role in the new Executive Board of Psychology
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  12 January 2022 Psychology Awards 2021
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  18 November 2021 Medical Delta professor Andrea Evers: ‘I find it important to look for new ways’
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  03 November 2021 Five Leiden professors installed as Medical Delta professors
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  06 September 2021 Opening of the Academic Year: ‘Take care of each other’
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  20 April 2021 Leiden University signs health and wellbeing agreement for city of Leiden
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  12 January 2021 Andrea Evers awarded Proof of Concept Grant
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  22 October 2020 Using the placebo effect for your health
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  18 June 2020 New Medical Delta professors mean boost for health and technology research
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  20 April 2020 Government, media and citizens: Watch out for the nocebo Corona effect
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  20 February 2020 Four Leiden professors appointed to KHMW
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  19 December 2019 Annual Health, Medical and Neuropsychology awards
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  09 December 2019 PhD candidate has patients barking up the wrong tree with virtual reality
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  16 September 2019 Andrea Evers installed as a new KNAW member
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  16 September 2019 Gravitation grant for team captains Bernet Elzinga and Andrea Evers
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  25 June 2019 Stevin Prize winner Andrea Evers: 'This award is for the whole team'
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  21 June 2019 Andrea Evers wins Stevin Prize for knowledge exchange and impact
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  25 April 2019 ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon visits Leiden University
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  23 April 2019 Five Leiden researchers elected as members of KNAW
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  18 March 2019 ZonMw Medical Inspirator Prize for research ‘Lyme paralyses lives’
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  18 October 2018 How can we make Leiden a really 'healthy university'?
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  24 September 2018 Inspiring and scientifically proven health advice at 'Healthy University' days
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  04 July 2018 Scientists present NeuroLabNL research agenda to ministers
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  03 July 2018 First patients start earning discounts with healthy living
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  15 May 2018 New website research programme Digital Society
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  26 March 2018 The Young Academy on interdisciplinary academic education
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  29 January 2018 Sylvia van Beugen wins ARPH Best Thesis Award
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  24 November 2017 VSNU presents Digital Society research agenda
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  25 October 2017 Leiden expands collaboration with Mexico
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  20 October 2017 Delegation from Leiden University visits Mexico
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  18 September 2017 Rapenburg - backdrop for art and knowledge
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  07 March 2017 The placebo effect: first world congress in Leiden
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  17 February 2017 Vici grants for four Leiden researchers
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  26 January 2017 Saving for discounts by living healthily
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  27 June 2016 NWO grant for Pavlov’s conditioning during sleep
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  07 June 2016 Expectations can relieve pain
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  24 May 2016 Sylvia van Beugen wins award for publication on psychodermatology
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  17 February 2014 Major European subsidy for Health psychologist Andrea Evers

Andrea Evers blogs

Andrea Evers is Professor of Health Psychology and Scientific Director at the Institute of Psychology. Her research focuses on psychoneurobiological factors, such as stress and expectations, in health and disease. She is connected to Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University in Rotterdam as Medical Delta professor, in which she is committed to researching the theme 'Healthy Society'.

Short CV

She obtained her doctorate in 2003 at Radboud University (cum laude). In 2011 she was appointed as professor of Health Psychology of somatic deseases at Radboud University and in 2013 she became professor of Health Psychology at Leiden University. In 2019 she was appointed as Medical Delta professor. For the Leiden-Delft-Rotterdam alliance, she is co-leader of the program Healthy Society.

She has received several prestigious research grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO (eg Veni 2004, Vidi 2008, Vici 2017), the European Research Council (eg ERC Consolidator Grant 2013), and the Stevin Prize (2019). She is project leader of the national Benefit consortium for healthy living (Zon-MW and Hartstichting). She is a clinical psychologist (BIG), cognitive behavioral therapist (VCGT) and member of the management team of the Leiden University Treatment and Expertise Center (LUBEC).

She is a member of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) and the KHMW (Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities). From June 1, 2021, she is a member of the Supervisory Board of VU University Amsterdam. Since January 1, 2024 Andrea Evers has joined the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) as a councilor.

Press photo 1(72DPI) by Ineke van Kester 
Press photo 2(300DPI) by Werry Crone
Press photo 3(300DPI) by Yoshua Rood

Research

Evers has a specific interest in the psychoneurobiology of somatic complaints (e.g., pain and itch) and conditions (e.g., chronic inflammatory conditions), with particular emphasis on placebo effects, stress mechanisms, and treatments.

Andrea Evers' research group conducts both fundamental research on the psychoneurobiology of placebo and stress mechanisms and translational research on screening and self-management or cognitive-behavioural interventions for healthy populations and chronic somatic conditions.

Important research questions are: How does stress affect chronic somatic symptoms and conditions? How can we optimally use placebo effects in health care? Can we train immune and endocrine systems by psychological means? How can we optimise interventions for patients with chronic somatic complaints or conditions? Answering these questions will eventually lead to increased insight in the psychoneurobiology of health and chronic somatic conditions and the optimisation of screening and interventions in health care for patients with chronic somatic complaints and conditions.

Grants

Andrea Evers has received various grants for her research from, among others, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO grants: VENI, VIDI and VICI), the Hartstichting, ZonMW, various health funds (including Hartstichting, Nierstichting, Diabetesfonds, Rheumafonds), the European Research Council (ERC Proof of Concept grant & ERC consolidator grant), Gravitation grant (grant NWO, Andrea Evers is one of the 5 wp leaders) and the Stevin Prize (2019, grant NWO).

Therapist training and certificates (selection)

• Registration supervisor cognitive-behaviour therapy (2009, 2014, 2019) and cognitive-behaviour therapist (2004)
• Registration clinical psychologist (BIG) (2006, 2011, 2016)

Key grants and prizes (selection)

• Stevin Prize (2019), research grant 2.500.000 Euro for researchers who have achieved an exceptional success in the area of knowledge exchange and impact for society, NWO Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.
• The power of expectations. VICI Grant 2017, NWO Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, ca.1.500.000 Euro (grant applicant).
• Empowering expectations for health and disease: Development of a pioneering training tool. ERC Proof of Concept Grant 2015, 2016-2018, ca. 150.000 Euro (grant applicant).
• We all benefit: The ecosystem for healthy living. Hartstichting  - ZonMW, 2017-2021, 2.499.426 Euro (projectleader).
• Empowering expectations for health and disease: Training of the immune and endocrine system. ERC Consolidator Grant 2013, 2014-2019, ca. 2.000.000 Euro (grant applicant).
• Unraveling the placebo effect: The power of expectancies for conditioning the immune and endocrine system. NWO-Vidi grant for high potentials, Innovational Research Incentives scheme VIDI grant, NWO Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research 2010-2015, 800.000 euro (grant applicant).
• NWO Aspasia grant, NWO Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research 2010-2015 (grant applicant).
• Psychophysiological stress mechanisms in chronic inflammatory diseases. NWO-Veni grant for high potentials, Innovational Research Incentives scheme VENI grant, NWO Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, 2004-2007, 200.000 Euro (grant applicant).
• Prof. Dr. Pieter Boeke Prijs award for the best research contribution in the area of psychotherapy 2003, Postgraduate Education College for Psychotherapy 2004 (Stichting Post Academiale Opleiding Psychotherapieën, PAO-P, 2004).
• Prof. Dr. Goslingsprijs award for the best Ph.D. thesis in rheumatology 2002-2003. Dutch College of Rheumatology, 2003 (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Reumatologie, 2003).

National scientific memberships and advisory boards (selection)

• Member of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) (since 2019)
• Member of the KHMW (Royal Dutch Society of Sciences)
• Board member of SIPS (Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies)
• Scientific Advisory Board of RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment)
• Advisory Board Member of ESDAP (European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry)
• Program Chair Digital Society, Health and Well-being, VSNU
• Chair Board of PGMP (Platform for Health and Medical Psychology)
• Co-Chair route NeurolabNL, National Research Agenda
• Co-Chair Profile Area ‘Health during the human life cycle’, Leiden University (chair since 2016 and board member since 2014)

Research schools and institutes (selection)

• Experimental Psychopathology (EPP) (associate senior member 2003 – 2013, senior member since 2013)
• Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (since 2014)

Editorial, reviewer and advisory activities (selection)

• Editorial Board, Associate Editor Pain (since 2016)
• Editorial Board Itch (since 2016)
• Editorial Advisory Board European Journal of Pain (since 2012)
• Editorial Advisory Board International Journal of Psychology (since 2011)

Links

Personal website Andrea Evers
Selected media coverage Andrea Evers (Video & Audio)
Taking care of your health -  Theme: Influencing your health with your behaviour and thoughts

Publications