Sciensano
Johan Van der Heyden is a senior researcher at Sciensano since June 1996, leading various national projects focused on public health, including the BELCOHORT+ and SalivaHIS projects, as well as significant contributions to COVID-19 health surveys and mortality studies. Prior to this role, Johan served as a District Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe from 1991 to 1995, overseeing clinical services and health district management, and coordinated a Water and Sanitation Project. Earlier experience includes serving as a medical doctor with Médecins sans Frontières from 1989 to 1990, managing health services and coordinating relief programs. Johan holds a Doctorate in Health Sciences from Ghent University, a Master's degree in Public Health Methodology from Université libre de Bruxelles, and a Medical Doctor degree from Ghent University.
Sciensano
SCIENSANO can count on more than 900 staff members who commit themselves, day after day, to contributing to public health. As our name suggests, science and health are central to our mission. Sciensano’s strength and uniqueness lie within the holistic and multidisciplinary approach to health. More particularly we focus on the close and indissoluble interconnection between human and animal health and their environment (the “One health” concept). By combining different research perspectives within this framework, Sciensano connects health, science and society. For this, Sciensano builds on the more than 100 years of scientific expertise of the former Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre (CODA-CERVA) and the ex-Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP).