Personal information
My name is Ruth M.A. van Nispen. I have a background in psychology and epidemiology. Since 2005, I have been working at the department of ophthalmology and the EMGO+ (Excellence Institute) at the VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In July 2010, I received the EMGO+ Quality of Care Fellowship for two years. Together with prof. Ger H.M.B. van Rens, I manage the Low Vision Research group at the ophthalmology department. Furthermore, I am the coordinator of education and scientific internships for medical students at our department.
Short biography
My research career started at the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL, Utrecht, the Netherlands) where I worked a couple of years as a junior researcher on various projects. Main topics were quality of care and quality of life in different populations. At ophthalmology, the main topic of my PhD-study (2005-2008) was to investigate the longitudinal effects of rehabilitation on the quality of life of visually impaired elderly. Already during my PhD-study, I started supervising two other PhD-candidates, and a number of research assistants and students with their research projects.
In general, my research focuses on enhancing care in the relatively new field of low vision rehabilitation. There is an urgent need for evidence-based protocols and interventions for visually impaired elderly patients. Our research group closely collaborates with rehabilitation centers for the visually impaired (Royal Visio and Bartiméus) in mutual scientific research. Currently, and within the research fellowship I received from EMGO+, I am investigating the effects of specific rehabilitation programs on quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Examples are three PhD-studies in which the effects of rehabilitation protocols are tested in randomized trials (a reading aid training protocol, a stepped-care protocol to reduce anxiety and depression, and a dual sensory loss protocol for older patients with combined vision and hearing loss). Another example is my former Postdoc study to improve the referral of depressed visually impaired elderly (2009-2010).
In addition, my colleagues and I have done a lot of research concerning the validity and reliability of vision-related quality of life questionnaires using modern psychometric theories (IRT), but also the development of a computer-based instrument to investigate rehabilitation needs from visually impaired patients’ perspectives. Our latest validation project concerns various reading charts for use in clinical practice and scientific research. Recently, I applied for a personal grant (VENI) which will enable me to integrate new research techniques and theories in my work obtained from medical humanities and health economics.
Current PhD projects
- Development of the Dutch Activity Inventory to investigate rehabilitation needs and outcomes of visually impaired older patients: J.E. Bruijning, MSc; 2007-2011; expected defense 2012
- Effects of a training protocol on the use of closed circuit televisions in a randomized controlled trial: M.C. Burggraaff, MD; 2007-2011; expected defense 2012
- Dual sensory impairment in the older patient: a randomized controlled trial to the effectiveness of a Dual Sensory Loss-protocol: H.L. Vreeken, MSc; 2011-2013; expected defense 2014
- The Dutch Reading Test Study: T. Verkerk-Brussee, BSc; 2011-2013; expected defense 2014
- Stepped-care to prevent depression and anxiety disorder in visually impaired older adults: a randomized controlled trial: H.P.A. van der Aa, MSc; 2012-2015; expected defense 2016
EMGO+ Quality of Care Fellowship
The EMGO+ Quality of Care Fellowship (July 2010 until July 2012) has enabled me to spend time to develop myself as a researcher and to firmly establish the Low Vision Research group at the VUmc as a multidisciplinary line of research that is foremost in the international field of low vision. Some examples are the personal grant application (VENI) which I recently submitted to the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The fellowship helped me to write articles for high impact journals. One was published in Acta Ophthalmologica and I am writing a Cochrane Systematic Review in which the effects of low vision rehabilitation on quality of life of visually impaired patients are assessed. Finally, EMGO+ gave me the opportunity to visit a foreign research institute, which was the Vision and Eye Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge (UK). There I received the honorary title of visiting research fellow. I now work closely together with dr. Latham to develop new research ideas and to write grant applications for collaborative projects.
Main research topics
- Low vision
- Elderly
- Quality of life
- Psychosocial functioning
- Psychometrics (item-response theory)
Education
- PhD-thesis: “Longitudinal measurement of the older patient’s vision-related quality of life”, VU University, Amsterdam (18 June, 2009; Promotores: prof.dr. van Rens; prof.dr. Ringens; dr. Knol)
- Epidemiology: VU University Medical Center and the EMGO Institute, Amsterdam (MSc: 2007)
- Clinical Psychology: University of Amsterdam (MA: 1998). Internship at the department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology at The Netherlands Cancer Institute / Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.