Centre of Expertise Urban Vitality

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Bart Visser (1963) has a degree in Human Movement Sciences from the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences at VU Amsterdam, where after graduating he went on to hold various posts (including as university lecturer, researcher and later head of the EXPres centre of expertise on rehabilitation ergonomics and sport). He worked for more than 20 years at this faculty. In 2004 Bart obtained his PhD with a thesis titled Upper extremity load in low-intensity tasks.

In 2011 Bart Visser was appointed professor at the AUAS as well as programme manager of its Mensendieck Exercise Therapy degree. The Functional Exercise Therapy professorship is devoted to helping to build the healthcare of the future through the innovation of professional practice and by renewing and strengthening the training of future professionals. The professorship focuses on daily exercise and particularly on self-management of that exercise. In addition, Bart is working on the SIA-SPRONG project Mensen in Beweging. In this project, researchers are looking at healthy nutrition and exercise for vulnerable groups in combination with sustainable behavioural influencing using creative technology.

Bart helps to shape applied research by encouraging researchers to actively participate in communities of practice (COPs) and living labs. These are rich environments in which students, lecturers, researchers and healthcare professionals all 'learn' together.

As from 1 March 2018, Bart has been working at the GRZPLUS living lab, contributing to geriatric rehabilitation research and innovation. As an alliance of geriatric care organisations (De Zorgcirkel and Omring in Noord-Holland province), GRZPLUS focuses on elderly patients in recovery and rehabilitation treatment.

Bart has authored and co-authored more than eighty scientific publications and reports.