I’ve always combined my academic activities with working as a general practitioner until a few years ago. From October 2007 till November 2019, I’ve been head of the department of general practice (since 2012 general practice and elderly care medicine) at VU University medical center. Since January 2019, I’m head of the Division of Primary Care, Public and Occupational Health and Methodology of Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Amsterdam UMC). My main focus in research has been on medically unexplained symptoms, I’ve supervised many diagnostic and prognostic research projects, and a number of RCTs carried out in primary care, resulting in over 200 international peer reviewed papers. All our research is carried out within the Amsterdam Public Health research institute of Amsterdam UMC. I’ve contributed to, or chaired, a number of (multidisciplinary) guidelines and I have also chaired or participated in committees of the Dutch Health Council. I’ve written or contributed to over 40 books on various topics, both for health care professionals and lay people. In 2018, I chaired the committee who steered the process of redefining the core values and core tasks of Dutch family medicine. Since 2020 I'm chair of the supervisory board of the Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG).