Joris Verster
Joris C. Verster (1970) studied psychology at Utrecht University and in 2002 he obtained his PhD. Verster is associate professor at the division of pharmacology at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. In 2015, as a recognition for ongoing research collaboration, he was invited and appointed as adjunct professor of human psychopharmacology at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
Verster has a track record of clinical trials examining the effects of CNS drugs and psychoactive substances on cognitive and psychomotor functioning, mood, sleep, and daily activities such as driving a car. Current studies have a strong focus on immune fitness, and the role of the immune system in health and disease. Verster conducts research into the effects of alcohol use as risk factor in health and disease, and the causes, consequences, and treatment of alcohol hangover. Verster is founder and president of the Alcohol Hangover Research Group. Verster is member of several advisory boards for industry, academia, and governmental organizations, including the working group on medicines use and traffic safety (KNMP) and the ISCTM/ECNP Joint COVID-19 CNS Clinical Trial Methodologies Blueprint Working Group. Other expert groups of which Verster was a member established legislative changes in the Netherlands regarding legal impairment limits for illicit drugs and driving (Dutch government) and advised the Dutch Ministry of Health on regulations regarding ADHD, methylphenidate, and driving.
Verster is editor of six books including ‘Drugs, Driving and Traffic Safety’, and editorial board member of Journal of Clinical Medicine, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Healthy, and Sleep & Vigilance. His research is regularly covered by international media and he is (co)-author of 290 articles and book chapters.
Research
Joris Verster is principal investigator at the division of pharmacology, conducting research on clinical pharmacology and immune fitness. His group investigates the impact of exposome pressure (e.g., lifestyle factors) on immune fitness, health and disease. Another aim of this multidisciplinary research is to develop and implement tools and methods (biomarkers, clinical assessments, questionnaires), and to collect real world evidence on how a wide range of environmental factors may impact health outcomes and quality of life.
Selected publications
Van Oostrom EC, Mulder KEW, Verheul MCE, Hendriksen PA, Thijssen S, Kraneveld AD, Vlieg-Boerstra B, Garssen J, Verster JC. A healthier diet is associated with greater immune fitness. PharmaNutrition 2022, 21, 100306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phanu.2022.100306
Kiani P, Balikji J, Kraneveld AD, Garssen J, Bruce G, Verster JC. Pandemic preparedness: the importance of adequate immune fitness. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2022, 11, 2442. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11092442
Balikji J, Hoogbergen MM, Garssen J, Verster JC. Self-reported impaired wound healing in young adults and their susceptibility to experiencing immune-related complaints. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2022, 11, 980. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11040980
Verster JC, Sandalova E, Garssen J, Bruce G. The use of single-item ratings versus traditional multiple-item questionnaires to assess mood and health. European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education 2021, 11(1), 183-198. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11010015
Van de Loo AJEA, Mackus M, Kwon O, Krishnakumar IM, Garssen J, Kraneveld AD, Scholey A, Verster JC. The inflammatory response to alcohol consumption and its role in the pathology of alcohol hangover. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2020, 9, 2081. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9072081
More information can be found on his staff page