"A broad vision of the environment is needed to more effectively prevent and control health risks at the human-animal interface."
Research focus: One Health and Environmental Epidemiology
Prof. Dr. Lidwien Smit is a Full Professor of One Health and Environmental Epidemiology at Utrecht University, serving as the head of the One Health Microbial group at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences.
With profound expertise in respiratory and molecular epidemiology, particularly concerning environmental exposure, her research and teaching endeavors are dedicated to exploring environmental and occupational risk factors affecting human health. Employing an interdisciplinary One Health approach, she delves into the intricate nexus of public health threats at the human-animal-environment interface.
As a principal investigator, Lidwien spearheads a large-scale, long-standing study on agricultural emissions and its impact on respiratory health, antimicrobial resistance, and infectious diseases among residents neighboring livestock farms. Additionally, she leads the CLAIRE: Clean Air for Everyone project—a multidisciplinary initiative aimed at evaluating the efficacy of ventilation and air purification systems in mitigating the airborne transmission of pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.
Beyond her academic roles, she serves as the Theme Leader for One Health at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and holds positions as a Scientific Director and Executive Board member of the Netherlands Center for One Health. Moreover, she contributes her expertise as a member of the ZonMW VENI Committee, as a scientific advisory committee member of the Netherlands Lung Foundation, and as a member of the Health Council of the Netherlands, specifically within the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Safety.
Lidwien's academic journey commenced with the attainment of her Master of Science degree (with highest honors) in Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University, followed by the completion of her PhD degree at Utrecht University and a post-doctoral fellowship at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Paris. She has authored over 140 scientific publications.
Chair
One Health and Environmental Epidemiology
Inaugural lecture date
20.04.2023