Dick Swaab Explained

Dick Swaab
Birth Date:17 December 1944
Nationality:Dutch
Birth Place:Amsterdam, Netherlands
Occupation:Professor, physician
Module:
Field:Medicine
Work Institutions:University of Amsterdam
Specialism:Neuroendocrinology
Research Field:Brain Development
Prizes:Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion

Dick Frans Swaab (born 17 December 1944) is a Dutch physician and neurobiologist (brain researcher).[1] He is a professor of neurobiology at the University of Amsterdam and was until 2005 Director of the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research (Nederlands Instituut voor Hersenonderzoek) of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen).[2]

Life

Swaab graduated at the Amsterdams Lyceum in 1963. He received his doctorate of medicine at the University of Amsterdam in 1968, and his Ph.D. in 1970 with professor J. Ariëns Kappers on a neuroendocrine thesis, and in 1972 he received his medical degree.He was from 1978 the director of the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research.[3] In 1979 he was appointed professor of neurobiology at the University of Amsterdam.In 1985 he founded the Nederlandse Hersenbank—known in English as The Netherlands Brain Bank[4] —to facilitate international research on brain diseases.[5] Swaab is an atheist.[6]

Research

Swaab is best known for his research and discoveries in the field of brain anatomy and physiology, in particular the impact that various hormonal and biochemical factors in the womb have on brain development.[7] Another area of Swaab's work, which has drawn much attention, is his research on how sexual dimorphism relates to brain anatomy, as well as research relating to sexual orientation and transsexuality. Through his years of research, Swaab, according to his own words, came to the deterministic and materialistic conclusion that brains are not things we have, but rather brains are what we are: the physical and chemical processes in our brains determine how we react and who we are. Currently, Swaab is most active in the field of depression and Alzheimer's research.[8]

Swaab's research has on several occasions produced controversy. After conducting research suggesting links between brain anatomy and sexual orientation, Swaab reports receiving death threats from individuals believing this work was attempting to 'pathologize' homosexuality and treat it as a biological abnormality or disorder.[9] [10] Swaab's view that neither free will nor metaphysical entities such as souls or spirits exist has also caused negative reactions among various religious groups.[11] [12] Swaab consistently defends his studies in the face of such criticism.[13]

Recognition

Swaab has numerous scientific awards and was mentor of 84 Ph.D. students, 16 of whom became full professor. He is editor of several journals about brain research.[14] Swaab has an H-index of 135 as of 2023, having been cited over 34,000 times.[15]

He is a member, honorary member, and founder of many scientific and professional associations. He was the second person to be awarded the Emil Kraepelin Guest Professorship at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany, in 1996, and is a visiting professor in three locations in China, and at Stanford University, United States.[16] He also is appointed Chao Kuang Piu Professor at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.-R. China. He has been decorated with the Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion,[17] a high order of chivalry of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Education

Professional career

Workplaces

Awards and honours

Swaab has received the following awards and honours:

Bibliography

Monograph

Key papers and publications

Swaab has co-written extensively on a number of topics, including sexual differentiation of the brain, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, eating disorders and metabolism, multiple sclerosis, human postmortem cell culture, Huntington's disease and hypertension.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Williams. Zoe. What can Dick Swaab tell us about sex and the brain?. The Guardian. 4 February 2014. 2014-01-28.
  2. Web site: Spencer. Michael. Professor Dick Swaab MD PhD. College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists. 12 March 2017. 2016-10-17.
  3. Eling. Paul. Hofman. Michel A.. 2014-04-03. The Central Institute for Brain Research in Amsterdam and its Directors. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences. en. 23. 2. 109–119. 10.1080/0964704X.2013.780810. 24256502. 43552953. 0964-704X.
  4. Web site: Welcome to Netherlands Brain Bank. Netherlands Brain Bank.
  5. Web site: About the Netherlands Brain Bank. Netherlands Brain Bank. 29 November 2013.
  6. "God bestaat niet" (in Dutch). Positief Atheïsme. 2005-06-07. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-05-22.“Blasphemy is also a pleasant way of living.”
  7. Web site: Brein en (bewust)zijn | Dima's Blog . Dimasplace.wordpress.com . 2011-02-20. 2013-11-29.
  8. Web site: Announcement | Mededeling | Radio Netherlands Worldwide . Rnw.nl . 2013-11-29 . 2013-04-13 . https://archive.today/20130413235223/http://www.rnw.nl/nederlands/article/hersenonderzoeker-dick-swaab-met-pensioen . dead .
  9. Book: Swaab, Dick. Wij Zijn Ons Brein (We are our brains). 2011. 112.
  10. Web site: We Are Our Brains. The Occasional Book. 8 February 2016 . en-US. 2019-05-14.
  11. Web site: Homo Universalis: Dick Swaab - Programma - deBuren . Deburen.eu . 2007-12-10 . 2013-11-29 . 2013-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003924/http://www.deburen.eu/nl/programma/detail/homo-universalis-dick-swaab . dead .
  12. Web site: Jan Willem Nienhuys . Swaab maakt gehakt van Eindeloos Bewustzijn » Skepsis Blog . Skepsis.nl . February 2011. 2013-11-29. Jan Willem Nienhuys .
  13. Web site: Dick Swaab is onder ons (1) | Paul Betgem – Over psychologie, psychiatrie en geestelijke gezondheidszorg . Praktijkpsychologiebetgem.nl . 2013-11-22 . 2013-11-29 . dead . https://archive.today/20130413222356/http://www.praktijkpsychologiebetgem.nl/actuele-ontwikkelingen/dick-swaab-is-onder-ons-1 . 2013-04-13 .
  14. Web site: Swaab: CV . knaw.nl . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203034402/http://www.herseninstituut.knaw.nl/research_groups/swaab_group/team/swaab . 2013-12-03 .
  15. Web site: Scopus preview - Scopus - Author details (Swaab, D. F.). 2020-07-08. www.scopus.com.
  16. Web site: Dick Swaab - Scriptum uitgeverij . Scriptum.nl . 2013-11-29.
  17. Web site: Nieuwe sleutel om Alzheimer te behandelen . Medicalfacts.nl . 2010-10-27 . 2013-11-29.

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