Prof. W.J.M. Scholte Op Reimer (Wilma) PhD

Wilma Scholte op Reimer graduated from Hogeschool Enschede's Nursing programme in 1990. After that, she worked as a community nurse while studying Health Sciences, specialising in Nursing Science, at Maastricht University.

Her involvement in research into the effects of care coordination within Maastricht University's Medical Sociology department led to her taking an interest in scientific research (supervisor: Professor Van Achterberg). She then moved to the Social Health Care department at Amsterdam's Academic Medical Center (headed by Professor Gunning-Schepers) to hone her research skills, before obtaining a doctorate from the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Medicine in 1999 for her thesis on 'Long-term care after stroke: studies on care utilisation, quality of care and burden of caregiving' (joint supervisors: De Haan & Van den Bos).

As part of her doctoral programme, she pursued an MSc in Clinical Epidemiology at Erasmus University Rotterdam (NIHES). On completing her doctoral research, she took up a position as a nurse at Erasmus Medical Center's Thorax Center in Rotterdam (headed by Professor Simoons), where she increasingly combined her work as a nurse with epidemiological research.

Within this position, she was responsible for coordinating several research projects, including an evaluation of the efficacy of stroke services (EDISSE) at the behest of Erasmus University Rotterdam's School of Health Policy & Management and state-of-the-art studies (systematic reviews) at Radboud University Medical Center's Nursing Science department in Nijmegen.

The most comprehensive project she was involved in was an evaluation of the implementation of guidelines in clinical daily practice during the treatment and supervision of cardiovascular patients (Euro Heart Survey Programme & Netherlands Heart Foundation Care Programme).

Additionally, her nursing duties included the development of guidelines, including the multidisciplinary European guidelines for cardiovascular risk management, and she was a member of the steering committee on the national redesign of the occupational structure and educational continuum of the nursing profession (Verpleegkundige Beroepenstructuur en het Opleidingscontinuüm, VBOC). Wilma Scholte op Reimer is a member of the Dutch Association of Cardiovascular Nurses (chair from 2002–2005), of the European Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (chair from 2005–2007) and of the scientific advisory council of the Dutch Association of Carers and Nurses.

At the time of writing, Wilma Scholte op Reimer serves as dean of the Faculty of Health and the Faculty of Sports and Nutrition. She is also a professor by special appointment of Complex Health Care.

PhD Candidates

Supervisor/co-supervisor of the following doctoral theses:

• Snaterse M. Rethinking Management of Risk Factors in Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. University of Amsterdam, 2018.
• Jørstad HT. New Approaches to the implementation of cardiovascular disease prevention. University of Amsterdam, 2016.
• Hoeks SE. Perioperative cardiac care: from guidelines to clinical practice. Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2010.
• Lenzen ML. Evaluating the application and applicability of clinical guidelines in daily clinical practice. Closing the loop with the Euro Heart Survey programme. Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2006.

Supervisor of 12 current doctoral programmes:

• Minneboo M. Effect of nurse coordinated cardiovascular prevention, with a focus on obesity, RESPONSE trial (2020, Muller Fund; co-applicant).

• Van Iersel M. COMPLEX CARE (COordination for Multimorbid Patients Leading to EXcellent CAre Research and Education) project: Educating complex care and influencing the imaging of community nursing through education (2020, ZonMw & NWO).
• Dobber J. Effect of motivational interviewing in schizophrenic patients and cardiovascular patients (2020, NWO).
• Pel-Littel R. COMPLEX CARE project: Developing a method for clinical reasoning and shared‐decision making in patients with complex care needs (2020, ZonMw & Vilans).
• Verweij L. COMPLEX CARE project: Nurse‐coordinated care and rehabilitation in community‐living patients with complex care needs after an acute hospitalization (2021, ZonMw & NWO).
• Jepma P. COMPLEX CARE project: Nurse‐coordinated care and rehabilitation in community‐living patients with complex care needs after an acute hospitalization (2021, ZonMw & NWO).
• Daliri S. COMPLEX CARE project: Medication safety in complex patients receiving home care after transfer from hospital to home (2021, ZonMw/RAAK-MKB).
• Keessen P. Kinesiophobia in cardiac patients (2022, RAAK-PRO & NWO).
• Terbraak M. Rehabilitation of older cardiac patients (2022, RAAK-PRO).
• IJzerman R. Using technology to improve a long-term healthy lifestyle (2022, Netherlands Heart Foundation/ZonMw; Benefit for All project co-applicant).
• Dolman C. Improving quality of life in TAVI patients (2023; AMC innovation funds).
• Vacancy. Improving functional health in TAVI patients through better nutrition and rehabilitation (2023, RAAK-SPRONG & AMC innovation funds).