Prof Rob van Dam

Professor (Visiting)

Tel (65) 6516 4980
Fax (65) 6779 1489
Email rob.van.dam@nus.edu.sg

VAN DAM Rob Martinus

Prof van Dam’s research is primarily focused on the dietary determinants of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The ultimate goal is to identify opportunities for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases particularly in the Asian context where the prevalence of these conditions is increasing rapidly. This research is mostly based on large-scale cohort studies integrating data on reported diet, dietary biomarkers, biomarkers of intermediate pathways, and genetic variation. In addition, he conducts dietary intervention studies, meta-analyses, studies of the cultural and physical environment as determinants of dietary behaviours, and contributes to lifestyle intervention programmes for the prevention of obesity and diabetes.

For more information on Prof van Dam’s work, visit: Physical Activity and Nutrition Determinants in Asia (PANDA) programme and Asian Diabetes Prevention

Affiliation

  • NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (Primary)
  • Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences & Engineering (Joint)
  • Harvard School of Public Health (Adjunct)

Research Areas

  • Diet in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
  • Behavioral and genetic determinants of dietary habits

Teaching Areas

  • Epidemiology/ Nutritional Epidemiology
  • Meta analysis and systematic reviews

Academic/Professional Qualifications

  • MSc Nutrition and Health (1998), Wageningen University, The Netherlands
  • PhD (2003), VU Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Awards/Honours

  • Faculty Outstanding Researcher Award, National University of Singapore 2016
  • Young Investigator Award, Diabetes and Nutrition Group, European Association for the Study of Diabetes, 2004
  • VENI Career Development Award, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, 2003

Career History

  • Researcher, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, The Netherlands (1998-2002)
  • Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2002-2005)
  • Research Scientist (2005-2007), Assistant Professor (2007-2009), and Adjunct Associate Professor (2013-), Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health
  • Assistant Professor, Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School (2006-2009)
  • Professor (2018-present), Associate Professor (2010-2017), Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Administrative Leadership

  • Co-Director, Epidemiology and Genetics Core, Boston Obesity and Nutrition Research Center. 2006-2009
  • Director, PhD and MSc Programme, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS. 2012-2017
  • Domain Leader (Epidemiology), Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS. 2012-2021
  • Vice Dean (Academic Affairs), Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS. 2018-2020

Professional/Consulting Activities

  • Expert Consultation on Carbohydrates and Health, WHO/ FAO (2006)
  • Editorial Board Emerging Themes in Epidemiology (2005-), JAHA (2013-), Journal of Epidemiology (2015-); guest associate editor American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2013)
  • Scientific Planning Committee, 7th Int Conference on Diet and Activity Methods, 4th and 5th Int Conference on Polyphenols and Health

Major Publications

  • van Dam RM, Feskens EJM. Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lancet 2002;360:1477-8.
  • van Dam RM, Li T, Spiegelman D, Franco OH, Hu FB. Combined impact of lifestyle factors on mortality. BMJ 2008;33:a1440.
  • Li S, Shin HJ, Ding EL, van Dam RM. Adiponectin levels and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2009;302:179-88.
  • Sun Q, Wedick NM, Pan A, Townsend MK, Cassidy A, Franke AA, Rimm EB, Hu FB, van Dam RM. Gut microbiota metabolites of dietary lignans and risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2014;37:1287-95.
  • Neelakantan N, Whitton C, Seah S, Koh H, Rebello SA, Lim JY, Chen S, Chan MF, Chew L, van Dam RM. Development of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess the dietary Intake of a multi-ethnic urban Asian population. Nutrients. 2016;8: E528.
  • Sun Y, Koh HW, Choi H, Koh WP, Yuan JM, Newman JW, Su J, Fang J, Ong CN, van Dam RM. Plasma fatty acids, oxylipins, and risk of myocardial infarction: the Singapore Chinese Health Study. J Lipid Res. 2016;57:1300-7.
  • Park SH, Nicolaou M, Dickens BSL, Yang Q, Tan KW, van Dam RM. Ethnicity, Neighborhood and Individual Socioeconomic Status, and Obesity: The Singapore Multiethnic Cohort. Obesity. 2020;28:2405-2413.
  • Alperet DJ, Rebello SA, Khoo EY, Tay Z, Seah SS, Tai BC, Tai ES, Emady-Azar S, Chou CJ, Darimont C, van Dam RM. The effect of coffee consumption on insulin sensitivity and other biological risk factors for type 2 diabetes: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;111:448-458.
  • Neelakantan N, Seah JY, van Dam RM. The effect of coconut oil consumption on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Circulation 2020;141:803-814.
  • van Dam RM, Hu FB, Willett WC. Coffee, caffeine and health. New Engl J Med 2020;383:369-378.

View his publications on ResearchGate and Google Scholar.

Media Coverage

View his full CV here.

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