Summary
Experienced PhD level researcher & neuropsychologist. Expert in Post Acute Infectious Syndrome research and inter- and multidisciplinary care pathway development. Fluent in Dutch, English, and German.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Topic Editor
Long COVID in Family Medicine and Primary Care Services, Frontiers in Medicine: Family Medicine and Primary Care
05.2026 - Current
Co-editing a special Research Topic focused on long COVID in primary care, including diagnosis, doctor–patient communication, care pathways, digital health, stigma, prognosis, and symptom management. Manuscript submission deadline: 23 November 2026.
Senior Researcher Post-COVID Network Netherlands
RadboudUMC
07.2024 - Current
- Spearhead the development of integrated and transmural care pathways for post COVID patients as part of a nationally funded initiative supported by ZonMw (€9 million grant).
- Leading efforts in Classification and Diagnostics by unifying and standardizing patient profiles and diagnostic procedures, ensuring accurate identification and categorization of post COVID conditions.
- Enhance Accessibility of care pathways for diverse patient groups, including children, severely ill patients, and socially vulnerable populations, addressing disparities and ensuring equitable care.
- Conduct comprehensive Evaluation of care pathways, assessing (cost) effectiveness and patient outcomes to inform continuous improvement and optimize resource utilization.
- Facilitate the Integration of care pathways with work and social domains, collaborating with occupational health services and social workers to support patients' recovery and reintegration.
- Work cross functionally with multidisciplinary teams, including scientists, healthcare professionals, and social partners, to drive impactful research and improve patient care outcomes.
Senior Researcher
Academisch Medisch Centrum Amsterdam
03.2025 - Current
Job Description:
As a senior researcher and project manager, I lead two assigned research projects within a multidisciplinary consortium focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative, data-driven care interventions for depression treatment in general practice. My role involves directing the research process, coordinating collaboration with partners such as Interactive Studios and other academic and healthcare institutions, and ensuring the scientific quality and timely progress of the projects.
Key Responsibilities:
- Leading the execution of two research projects focused on Measurement Based Care (MBC) and personalized lifestyle interventions for depression, including the design and management of cluster-randomized trials and feasibility studies.
- Developing and implementing eHealth monitoring tools for systematic and structured feedback on depressive symptoms and treatment progress to patients and healthcare providers.
- Coordinating multidisciplinary collaboration within the consortium, including academic partners, software developers, general practices, and patient organizations.
- Managing project planning, budgeting, reporting to funders, and ensuring compliance with ethical and scientific standards.
- Analyzing and interpreting research data, contributing to scientific publications, and presenting results at conferences.
- Developing implementation strategies to promote scalability and transferability of MBC interventions in primary care.
Psychologist
Novarum
01.2024 - 12.2024
- CBT-E Therapist for Eating Disorders
- Conducted patient observations by monitoring behavior and documented physical health, family history and medications in mental health assessment reports.
- Disseminated reports and briefings for program management and to drive patient care improvements.
- Used therapeutic communication techniques to build rapport and guide discussion with patients.
Medical Psychologist/ Coordinator
Begrepen Klachten
04.2023 - 12.2023
- Assisted the healthcare provider in providing patient care by retrieving medical
records, test results, medical supplies and other items
• Conduct, assess and provide feedback on extensive medical intakes regarding post
viral syndrome symptoms
• Coach patients with post viral syndromes on energy management strategies (e.g.
PACING)
• Developed a comprehensive medical information database to provide timely and
accurate answers to medical and psychological inquiries
Postdoctoral Researcher
The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University
05.2022 - 12.2023
- The Shared Roots of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease Project
- Drafted manuscripts and presented findings at major conferences.
- Conducted independent research and development to attain short and long-term objectives.
- Contributed to and actively participated in research conception, design and execution to address defined problems.
Researcher/Project Manager
WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit and Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences | Department of Clinical-, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
08.2021 - 01.2022
- Core duties:
• Project Coordination of the development of a WHO scientific briefCoauthor on a
WHO Scientific Brief (policy brief). Title: WHO Scientific Brief on the Impacts of
COVID-19 on Mental Health (submitted end of Dec 2021. Estimated publication end
of February 2022)
• Conducting an umbrella review of COVID-19 and mental health systematic reviews
and umbrella reviews in preparation of the WHO scientific brief (protocol
publication OSF https://osf.io/jf4z2 )
Subject Matter Expert/ Board Secretary
Global Initiative Stress & Trauma Treatment non-for-profit
10.2019 - Current
- GIST-T is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development, promotion, and application of evidence-based therapies for managing and treating trauma and trauma-related conditions, aiming to make these therapies accessible to vulnerable populations worldwide. Its focus includes raising awareness, encouraging and facilitating training for professional and paraprofessional personnel, promoting the scaling up and use of trauma care services, advancing research, and securing funding, partnerships, and contracts for sustainability.
Core responsibilities include managing multiple research projects, primarily in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), to test the task-shifting effectiveness of the GIST-T training protocol. GIST-T also assists and consults trainers worldwide on study design, methodology, data analysis, and scientific report writing. The organization promotes and supports the establishment of evidence-based training protocols for mental health interventions in LMICs, co-facilitates research training webinars and virtual continuous learning modules, and fosters research collaborations between GIST-T training sites—mostly hosted by non-profit organizations—and universities.
Visiting Research Fellow
Hamburg University/ Stark Institute for Stress and Fatigue
07.2019 - 04.2021
- Research fellow at the Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg,
and the Stark Institute for Stress and Fatigue Research, nationally
recognised specialist on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis and treatment (-
https://prof-stark-institut.de/aktuell/forschung-cfs/)
Core duties: - Conducting diagnostic interviews for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
- Setting up of a collaborative research projects between the University of
Stellenbosch (South Africa), the Stark Institute for Stress and Fatigue Research,
Hamburg, and the University of Hamburg - Biomarkers of interest: The gut-brain axis, homeostasis, allostatic load, chronic
stress, traumatic stress, heart rate variability. - Development of Long COVID19 research and development of primary care
treatment options
Head of Research
Momentum Mental Healthcare | Promentis Healthcare
08.2016 - 01.2018
- Head of Research at Momentum Mental Healthcare, later
Promentis Healthcare, South Africa https://www.promentis.nl/
Core duties: - Set up of a new research department within an private psychiatric institution
- Research project development, evidence based research
- Establishment of research collaborations with several universities and private
research institutions - Implementation of Cognitive Training based research/intervention (working
memory training)
Education
MSc Clinical Neuropsychology -
09-2023
Finalizing clinical internship (at a Geriatric inpatient care facility) 1st Sept 2023
Expected graduation mid to end of September 2023
Ph.D Psychiatry - undefined
12-2017
Dissertation Title: Association Between Motor Timing and Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Alcohol and/or Cocaine Addiction in a Rehabilitation Programme
MA (Psychology) - undefined
03-2013
Dissertation Title: A Comparison of Affective Response Inhibition and Resilience among individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following Early Childhood Trauma: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.
Hons (Clinical Psychology) - undefined
06-2009
Honours degree completed With Merit within 3 years
Skills
- ME/CFS and Long COVID expertise
- Neuropsychological assessment
- Classification and diagnostics
- Integrated care pathway development
- Multidisciplinary research collaboration
- Subject matter consultancy
- Task-based testing
- Implementation strategy development
- Evaluation of care pathways
- Patient outcome assessment
- BAPD certification: Basic Psychodiagnostics Registration NIP
- Clinical practice certification: GCPC
Languages
Dutch
English
German
City
Ijmuiden
Placeofbirth
The Netherlands
Street
Lagersstraat 13, 1971DG
Academicactivities
Publications 2011 — 2025
Ahmed-Leitao, F., Rosenstein, D., Marx, M., Young, S., Korte, K., & Seedat, S. (2019).
Posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder and childhood trauma: Differences in hippocampal subfield volume. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 284, 45–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.12.015
Bakelaar, S. Y., Rosenstein, D., Kagee, A., & Seedat, S. (2011).
HIV as an index stressor for PTSD: challenges and pitfalls in applying DSM criteria. African Journal of Psychiatry, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.4314/ajpsy.v14i4.2
Bishop, M., Rosenstein, D., Bakelaar, S., & Seedat, S. (2014).
An analysis of early developmental trauma in social anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Annals of General Psychiatry, 13, 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-859X-13-16
Brooks, S. J. B., Funk, S. G., Young, S. Y., Schiöth, H. B., & Schioth, H. B. (2017).
The role of working memory for cognitive control in anorexia nervosa versus substance use disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01651
Bruijnen, C. J. W. H., Young, S. Y., Marx, M., Seedat, S., & Young, S. (2019).
Social anxiety disorder and childhood trauma in the context of anxiety (behavioural inhibition), impulsivity (behavioural activation) and quality of life. South African Journal of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v25i0.1189
Marx, M., Young, S. Y., Harvey, J., Rosenstein, D., & Seedat, S. (2017).
An Examination of Differences in Psychological Resilience between Social Anxiety Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Context of Early Childhood Trauma. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2058. Retrieved from http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02058/full
Pupat, A., Diemu, D. I., Yacoubou, H., Chanfreau, V., & Young, S. Y. (2025, in review).
Feasibility, acceptability and outcomes of the Traumatic Stress Relief Training Program (GIST-T TSR) for mental health paraprofessionals and allied health professionals in Burkina Faso: A series of case studies. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. Manuscript EJTD-D-25-00092.
van Hoof, J., Young, S., Joos, R., Sennef, C., Nabitz, U., & Dekker, J. (2018).
Dekontextualisierung: Stationäre Suchttherapie in Südafrika für niederländische Patienten. Suchttherapie. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0723-3728
Witteveen, A., Young, S., Cuijpers, P., Mateos, J. L. A., Barbui, C., Federico, B., Cabello, M., Downes, N., Franzoi, D., Gasior, M. E., Gray, B., Gunnell, D., John, A., Palantza, C., Purgato, M., Waerden, J. van der, Ommeren, M. van, Wang, S., & Sijbrandij, M. (2021).
COVID-19 and Mental Health: An umbrella review of systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses. OSF Preregistration. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/JF4Z2
Witteveen, A. B., Young, S., Cuijpers, P., Ayuso-Mateos, J. L., Barbui, C., Bertolini, F., Cabello, M., Cadorin, C., Downes, N., Franzoi, D., Gasior, M., John, A., Melchior, M., McDaid, D., Palantza, C., Purgato, M., van der Waerden, J., Wang, S., & Sijbrandij, M. (2022).
Remote mental health care interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 104226. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BRAT.2022.104226
Witteveen, A. B., Young, S., Cuijpers, P., Ayuso-Mateos, J. L., Barbui, C., Bertolini, F., Cabello, M., Cadorin, C., Downes, N., Franzoi, D., Gasior, M., John, A., Melchior, M., McDaid, D., Palantza, C., Purgato, M., van der Waerden, J., Wang, S., & Sijbrandij, M. (under review).
COVID-19 and common mental health symptoms in the early phase of the pandemic: an umbrella review of the evidence. PLOS Medicine
World Health Organization. (2022).
Mental health and COVID-19: early evidence of the pandemic’s impact: scientific brief, 2 March 2022. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/352189. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Young, S. Y., Brocker, E., Broodryk, M., & Seedat, S. (2018).
Prognostic value of impulsivity in treatment outcomes in patients with alcohol use and/or cocaine use disorder in a rehabilitation programme. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 24-. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v24i0.1297
Young, S. Y., Kidd, M., & Seedat, S. (2019).
Motor Timing Outcome Differences between Patients with Alcohol- and / or Cocaine Use Disorder in a Rehabilitation Program. Timing and Time Perception, 7(1), 48–70. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134468-20181137
Young, S. Y., Kidd, M., van Hoof, J. J. M., & Seedat, S. (2018).
Prognostic Value of Motor Timing in Treatment Outcome in Patients With Alcohol- and/or Cocaine Use Disorder in a Rehabilitation Program. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(OCT), 1945. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01945
Young, S. Y., Kidd, M., van Hoof, J. J. M., & Seedat, S. (2020).
Motor Timing as a Predictor of Attention, Working Memory and Impulsivity in Alcohol and/or Cocaine Use Disorders. Timing & Time Perception, 8(2), 192-216. https://doi.org/10.1163/221634468-2020115
Ziaja, P. C., Young, Y. S., Stark, S.-C. M., Lindner, T., Zurék, G., & Sedlacik, J. (2025).
Brainstem reduction and deformation in the 4th ventricle cerebellar peduncles in long COVID patients: Insights into neuroinflammatory sequelae and “broken bridge syndrome.” medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.08.25325108
- Awards/Scholarships
• 2020-2022 NRF- Grant holder linked Postdoctoral fellowship SARChI, PTSD unit,
Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
• 2019 Stellenbosch University, South Africa, Mobility Grant
• 2019 Seed Funding- University Hamburg, Germany
• 2019 NRF- Grant holder linked Postdoctoral fellowship SARChI PTSD unit,
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
• 2018 NRF- Grant holder linked Postdoctoral fellowship SARChI PTSD unit,
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
• 2017 Consolidoc post-doctoral fellowship award Department of
Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
• 2016 South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and
Technology Departmental Scholarship, South Africa
• 2016 UCLA (USA)/South Africa Chronic Mental Disorders Research Training
Programme Alumni
• 2015-2018 Hendrik Vrouwes Research Scholarship (Research Grant @4 years, South
Africa)
• 2014-2016 NRF S&F - Innovation Doctoral Scholarship,
• 2013 Medical Research Council, South Africa, Scholarship
• 2013 NRF Grant holder Linked Doctoral fellowship SARChI PTSD unit Stellenbosch
University
• 2010 Harry Crossley FHS project funding (Research Grant South Africa
• 2010 Hendrik Muller Foundation (Scholarship, The Netherlands)
- EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
SME consultancy at Young Professionals Project (non- for- profit), Cape Town
2018 — Present
The Young Professionals Project (YPP) offers first world Psychology and Psychiatry
graduates the opportunity to complete a structured clinical internship of 6 month. The
internship entails a structured internship completed at a private psychiatric clinic and a
public psychiatric hospital in Cape Town. The project is at a pilot stage. The objective of
the project is to relieve staff and resource shortages in the South African mental health
sector and simultaneously offer meaningful and highly engaging work experiences.
- SME at Health Promotors South Africa, Cape Town/Hamburg
2019 — 2022
Invitation to assist with the development of a nation wide mental health
promoting curriculum for the non-profit organisation Health Promotors.
(https://healthpromoters.co.za/).
The non-for-profit has been endorsed by Barack Obama. The Queen of Lesotho has
accepted the Ambassador position for this project.
Core Duties:
• Setting up connections between established mental health experts and Health
Promotors
• Arranging speakers to facilitate grass root level mental health workshops (on
Trauma, Addiction, 101 Psychiatric Disorders) to educate grass root level staff on
mental health related topics - Tirisano Project Alumni at UCLA, USA, Cape Town
June 2016 — June 2016
UCLA/South Africa Chronic Mental Disorders
Research Training and Mentorship Programme.
https://saneurosoc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Tirisano-Flyer-2017.pdf
Personal Information
References
- Prof. Dr. Marit Sijbrandij, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences | Department of Clinical-, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, e.m.sijbrandij@vu.nl, +31 20 598 7921 / +31 (0)6 12154104
- Rolf C. Carriere, Founder/Executive Director Global Initiative Stress & Trauma Treatment | Retired UNICEF Indonesia Jakarta Country Representative | rolfcarriere@gmail.com, +31 6 23187188
- Prof. Dr. Soraya Seedat | Executive Head Department of Psychiatry | Director of the South African Medical Research Council Unit on the Genomics of Brain DisordersCape Town, South Africa |Stellenbosch University | Cape Town, South Africa | s.seedat@sun.ac.za
Timeline
Topic Editor - Long COVID in Family Medicine and Primary Care Services, Frontiers in Medicine: Family Medicine and Primary Care
05.2026 - Current
Senior Researcher - Academisch Medisch Centrum Amsterdam
03.2025 - Current
Senior Researcher Post-COVID Network Netherlands - RadboudUMC
07.2024 - Current
Psychologist - Novarum
01.2024 - 12.2024
Medical Psychologist/ Coordinator - Begrepen Klachten
04.2023 - 12.2023
Postdoctoral Researcher - The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University
05.2022 - 12.2023
Researcher/Project Manager - WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit and Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences | Department of Clinical-, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
08.2021 - 01.2022
Subject Matter Expert/ Board Secretary - Global Initiative Stress & Trauma Treatment non-for-profit
10.2019 - Current
Visiting Research Fellow - Hamburg University/ Stark Institute for Stress and Fatigue
07.2019 - 04.2021
Head of Research - Momentum Mental Healthcare | Promentis Healthcare
08.2016 - 01.2018
University of Amsterdam - MSc Clinical Neuropsychology,
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University - Ph.D Psychiatry,
Department of Psychology, University of Stellenbosch - MA (Psychology),
University of Amsterdam - Hons (Clinical Psychology),