The department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial care of Amsterdam UMC focuses on five research sections. They are all listed below.

Research section Gender & Transgender care

Annelou de Vries
We focus on transgender care for adolescents, mental health and treatment evaluation. We do this in close collaboration with the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria. In this research section we aim to improve informed consent and decision making in transgender care for adolescents. To do this we focus on a follow-up during and after treatment. We research developmental pathways and the co-occurance of autism and gender dysphoria. Additionally we study the sexual health of transgender adolescents. Finally we communicate about uncertainty in transgender care and DSD care (differences in sex development).

Research section Family Mental Health

Christel van Middeldorp
We focus on identifying family factors, including genetic, that influence the course of symptoms. Moreover, we work on the development of family based mental health care across child and youth mental health services and adult mental health services. The aim is to prevent mental health symptoms where possible and optimally treat mental disorders if necessary. More information: Academic Collaborative Center Family Mental Health (GEZIeN)

Research section Developmental Disorders / N=You

Hilgo Bruining
The research section developmental disorders is also named N = You. N = You is the Neurodevelopmental Precision Center of Amsterdam UMC. Within this section we focus on various themes, all lead by a scientist of Amsterdam UMC department of Child- and Developmental Psychiatry and Psychosocial care, but all part of great team science. The themes are:

• Neurophysiology of atypical development – led by Klaus Linkenkaer-Hansen
• Characterisation and treatment of genetic disorders – led by Jan Sprengers and Anneke Kleeven
• (Digital) Ecology of neurodevelopmental disorders – led by Hilgo Bruining
• Environmental impacts of development – led by Rob Wichers
• Cellular models of neurodevelopment – led by Matthijs Verhage

We all closely collaborate with many groups and institutes, including: Amsterdam health & technology institute (AHTI), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research at VU Amsterdam (CNCR).

Research sections DREAMS

Tinca Polderman
In Dreams we focus on:

• Lifestyle factors in child and adolescent mental disorders (Malindi van der Mheen)
• Prediction models and trends over time in child and adolescent mental disorders (Josjan Zijlmans, Yudith Haveman)

Research section Youth at Risk

Lucres Nauta – Jansen
We focus on various research themes within the section Youth at risk. Think about mechanism of delinquent development or risk taxation. We also focus on forensic intervention and care policy in our academic collaborative center Youth at Risk (led by Eva Mulder and Lieke van Domburgh). We execute our research in close collaboration with Levvel in the Knowledge network Forensisch & Gedrag.