prof. dr. E. (Eelko) Hak

NWO-VENI laureate Prof. Hak and his multidisciplinary team have supervised >30 PhD theses on the validity of scientific statistical and epidemiological causal design methods to assess (side-) effects of drugs and vaccines using Real-World Big Health Care and Biobank Data. Scientific methods consider a variety of designs such as case-control, cohort, case-only, sibling designs, instrumental variable analysis, propensity score analysis often in combination with RCTs, meta-analyses and Individual Patient Data designs. His scientific work led to >400 peer-reviewed publications till 2021 (Web of Science H-index 44, >8,000 citations). As leader of the PharmLines Initiative,  a public-private collaboration between Lifelines BV-UMCG-RUG, he initiates and co-supervises research in the area of Precision Medicine with linked biobank, genetic, clinical, pharmacological and health care data of >80,000 persons from the Northern region. Topics mainly concern the pharmaco-epidemiology of preventive medications as well as vaccinations. In addition, his team supports the societal impact by studying the optimal methods to implement innovations in the area of sustainable drug applications and  vaccination strategies (e.g. drug repurposing, data science technologies to support optimal drug use, development of infection risk profiles and vaccination passport).

Prof. Hak was program director of the two-year Groningen Research Master Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences from 2015-2020. As a director he implemented innovations regarding the extension of research tracks including Pharmaceutical Design & Engineering, Drug Toxicology &Translational Technologies and Pharmacoepidemiology & -Economics. With these tracks the complete drug development cycle can be studied within MPS. He further introduced a strong mentorate for students, monitoring of research projects, clear selection criteria for examiners and committee evaluations of research projects, which resulted in a Top-label in 2017 and 2019 by the influential Dutch Keuzegids (MPS belongs to the top-10% best master educations in the Netherlands). As educational director Pharmacy from 2020-2022 (>100 faculty) he applied his broad expertise to lead the cluster Pharmacy, also in close collaboration with sister Faculties.

* Chair department and Management Team PharmacoTherapy, -Epidemiology&-Economics (52 profs, TT ass profs, postdocs, lecturers, PhDs, datamanagers, secretariat). * Educational Director Pharmacy (>100 teaching faculty) and member Program Board Pharmacy Groningen (2020-2022) * Program Director Research Master Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences from 2015-2020 (Keuzegids Top-label in 2017 and 2019) *Member till 2025 as methodologist of the Medical Ethical Review Committee BEBO, Assen (evaluation >60% phase 1-3 drug trials in Netherlands). *Member as methodologist of the METC Isala ziekenhuis, Zwolle. *Co-chair GUIDE graduate school research group (18 UG-UMCG Principal Investigators) Real-world data studies in Pharmaco-Epidemiology, -Genetics, -Economics & -Therapy (PEGET) from 2015-2020. *Member of the Faculty Council FSE (2016-2019). *Member of the Dutch Health Council COVID19 (till 2021), Vaccinations (2012-2018) and Influenza vaccination (2008-2017).*Work Package leader of an European Clinical Vaccine Trial Program EU-FP7-project Universal Influenza Vaccines secured (2013-2019).*Work package leader of an Interreg-NWE project PREWAPHARM (2024-2028)