Information about the Organisation:
The National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) conducts research into public health and environmental issues in the Netherlands. It also operates as the Office for Environmental Assessment. RIVM conducts research commissioned by the ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport, Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. Policymakers use RIVM research findings to develop, implement and enforce policy. RIVM not only conducts research itself, but gathers data from all over the world, which it then interprets and applies.
RIVM employs over 1500 researchers and technical personal.
The Centre for Environmental Health Research (MGO) is a department within RIVM. Its research lays at the cross-road of public health and environmental quality. MGO staff consists of 36 people.

Mission:
RIVM's mission statement is 'Research at the service of man and the environment'. RIVM has a public task. RIVM works on subjects with political and societal relevance on behalf of government bodies, and for three ministries in particular (Health, Welfare and Sport; Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment; Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries). RIVM is independent and has sole responsibility for how it conducts and publishes its research.

Projects:
Current EU-research projects MGO-members participate in are RANCH, HYENA, SELMA and HEARTS.

Irene van Kamp (1951) was educated at the University of Groningen and the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (Netherlands) and has a background in sociology (Bsc), psychology (PhD) and epidemiology (post graduate). She has broad experience in working in interdisciplinary teams and policy preparing research. Since January 2000 she is working as a senior researcher at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Centre for Environmental Health Research with a special assignment in the field of urban quality and quality of life, with specific attention for environmental noise. She is a co-worker in several EU 5th framework projects (RANCH, SELMA, HEARTS). In the past three years she organized several national and international workshops on environmental quality and quality of life and finalized a literature review on models concerning quality of life, sustainability and liveability together with RIGO BV In Amsterdam.
Irene van Kamp is an advisor in several WHO projects (Housing and Health, Noise-response relations, and EH Survey) and the EU project on Transport and Health.
Since 2001 Member of the International Society for Quality of Life research (ISQOL). Since 2003 chair of team 3 of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise.

PERSONALIA
Name : Van Kamp, I. Dr.
Number : 2457
Date enrollment : 1/1/200
Department : Centre for Environmental Health Research
Function : senior researcher

Work experience (internal)
Function Period Institute

Senior Researcher 01/01/2000- Nat. Inst. Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)

Work experience (external)
Function Period Instituut/Organisatie

Scientific Officer 1982 1983 Uni Groningen
Researcher 1984 1988 Uni Groningen
Researcher 1989-1991 Uni Groningen
Epidemiologist 1991-1999 Municipal Health Service

Education
Period Institute

Gymnasium alpha 1963-1971 Chr Lyceum Zeist
Sociology 1971-1976 RUG (kandidaats)
Psychology 1974-1980 RUG (doctoraal)
PhD 1990
Epidemiogie 1992-1993 Erasmus Univ. Rott.
Certificate 1993

TRAINING/COURSES
Title Period

Summer Program on Clinical and Public 1992 Erasmus Uni
Health. Research Methods,
David Clayton & Michel Hill.
Scientific journalism 1997-1998

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
Period

PR 2000
Media training 2003

Professional Associations
Dutch Association fro Epidemiology
European Association for Public Health

Working visits/Grants etc

Visit Sydney University (February 2001) at Dr. RF Job en dr. J. Hatfield (Psychology) to prepare 4 papers in relation to a 'meta-analysis' on the data of the Sydney Airport study, Schiphol study and school studies around Heathrow. In cooperation with Queen Mary College London, Prof. S. Stansfeld)

Visit London (June, 2001) at Prof. S. Stansfeld to prepare paper on noise-sensitivity. Consultation design and instruments of the Schiphol Monitor.

Visit Geneve (November 2001) to prepare an International Workshop about Environmental Quality and Human Well-being.

Allowance Academy of the Social sciences in Australia en Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Dutch Academy of Social Sciences (6000AUS$) in framework of the Australia-The Netherlands Scheme. Used for a visit to Sydney University in 2002. Sydney University and Deakin University (Melbourne) Augustus, 2002

Report of working visit for the Academy for the Social Sciences (Dialogue)
Kamp, I. Van, Environmental Quality and Quality of Life
http://www.assa.edu.au/International/netherlands.htm.

WHO advisory meetings in 2002- 2004
1. Housing and Health (Freiburg, Munich, Bonn, Berlin)
2. Noise-response relations (Bonn)
3. EH Survey meeting (Bonn, Lisbon, Rome)