Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences honors outstanding colleagues

During this year’s festive Christmas celebration, the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences proudly hosted its inaugural “Colleague of the Year” award ceremony to recognize exceptional collegiality, dedication and positive impact within our academic community.

The idea for this award was initiated by Anna Chatsisvili, who envisioned a moment to celebrate colleagues for who they are as professionals beyond their designated functions of researchers, teachers and support staff, and to honor them for their individual competences, especially those concerning leadership, impact and team spirit, contributing to the Department’s collective success as a “close-knit commmunity”. 

A total of five finalists were carefully chosen by a Selection Committee composed of members from all departmental divisions and representing a range of roles to ensure a broad and inclusive perspective. The Committee members included Anna Chatsisvili, Shahab Abtahi, Serena Di Palma, Sarah Kidwai, Ed Moret, Sabrina Santos Oliveira, and Anita van Oyen, who selected the following finalists:

• Ferdi Engels, for “his significant contributions to colleagues’ development”
• Jolien Kok-van Esterik, for “always going the extra mile, even when you least expect it or need it”
• Roel Maas-Bakker, for “his hard work and positive contribution to the working atmosphere in our department, and to the classroom”
• Julia Vreugdenhil, for “making our department safer, greener, more effective, and pleasant”, and
• Marit Zuurveld, for “always being there for everyone and everything, and prioritizing results for the greater good over her own”

In a pleasant surprise, the Committee announced not one but two winners, acknowledging that both top finalists demonstrated such exceptional merit that a single award would not do justice. Therefore, the 2025 Colleague of the Year awards were presented to Marit Zuurveld and Jolien Kok-van Esterik, whose recognition was met with enthusiastic applause and heartfelt appreciation from colleagues across the department.

This new award not only celebrates individual excellence but also reinforces the spirit of collaboration and mutual support that defines our departmental culture. We are looking forward to continuing this tradition in the years to come and to promoting the three pillars of the TRIPLE model (link to intranet, login required): impact, leadership, team.