Andres Dijkshoorn MT member of Infectious Disease Policy at VWS | News item

The Infectious Disease Policy Directorate (IZB) is a new policy department to be built with the task of further developing and strengthening the IZB theme. The management is formed from existing units and program departments. The focus is on building and developing the organization. The IZB directorate organizes and coordinates the VWS infectious disease policy and works closely with other VWS directorates to this end. This management is also the point of contact, and often the client, for the implementing parties and other parties in the infection control chain. The IZB directorate provides interdepartmental consultation and, together with the international directorate, promotes international input and coordination (other countries, EU/WHO, the market/private parties, local and regional) and the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.

As IZB manager, Andres will make an important contribution to the substantive and organizational development of the management. These developments are characterized by:

• building a type of management in which both the ‘hot and cold phase’ of infectious disease control must be strengthened equally;
• implementing the results of the pandemic preparedness program directorate and the lessons learned from the COVID program directorates in a policy directorate;
• the interdepartmental and interadministrative positioning as a policymaker and client in the field of infectious disease control;
• bringing together employees from the different organizational units, each with their own culture and working methods.

Director General of Public Health Marjolijn Sonnema and quartermaster Henk Soorsma: “We are very pleased with the arrival of Andres. We can make very good use of his administrative insight and intellectual agility to position the IZB management well. In addition, Andres has a social heart for people and an eye for organizational development.”

Andres Dijkshoorn: “Recent years have clearly shown the social relevance of a robust infectious disease policy. I am very much looking forward to continuing to work on this task.”

Andres studied Public Administration at Tilburg University. He subsequently did PhD research at Erasmus University Rotterdam, after which he started working successively as a policy officer and senior policy coordinator on spatial issues for the House of Representatives faction of the PvdA. He then worked as an organizational consultant at Ardis Organization Development. Since 2021, he has worked at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport for the Covid-19 program directorate as a coordinating policy officer for measures and MT member for Information and Coordination. He is an MT member of the Covid-19 and healthcare program directorate until June 1, 2024.

This appointment was made through a procedure of the General Administrative Service. DGABD carried out the recruitment for this appointment and supported the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in the selection. As usual, the vacancy was widely opened, so that everyone could apply.