Biographical Sketch

Currently, Petra HM Peeters is professor of chronic disease epidemiology at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (University Medical Center Utrecht, UMCU, The Netherlands). She is also appointed at the department Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the School of Public Health (Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK, 2007 onwards).

She finished Medical School (Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands, 1984) and obtained her PhD in epidemiology at Nijmegen University (1984-89, thesis: side effects of breast cancer screening). Subsequently  she became associate professor of clinical epidemiology at the Julius Center. (1989 to 2009) She is a member of: the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) Steering Committee (1991 to date), the Dutch Epidemiology Society (1990 to date). She is a senior teacher in several (inter)national courses. She co-authored over 600 papers.

Interests and Focus

Her main interest is cancer research. In her PhD thesis she assessed the side-effects of breast cancer screening in the Nijmegen screening project (1989). She is the principal investigator of the Prospect-EPIC study, one of the two Dutch cohorts (EPICnl) participating in the large scale European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. She recruited 17,300 women into the EPIC study and collected detailed dietary and other lifestyle data (1993-1997). Blood samples were collected and stored too. KWF Kankerbestrijding (Dutch Cancer Society),WCRF (World Cancer Research Fund) and the Dutch Research council (NOW ZON) financed several projects relating (breast) cancer to genetic polymorphisms in candidate genes, hormones nutrition and lifestyle. She is the principal coordinator of the EC funded PANACEA project conducted in 11 countries to study determinants of obesity. She also participates in clinical projects to improve the early detection (DENSE study) and treatment of non-palpable breast lesions. She studies physical activity in healthy postmenopausal women (SHAPE study) and in cancer patients (PACT study).

Key Publications

• Weight change in middle adulthood and breast cancer risk in the EPIC-PANACEA study

  Emaus MJ, van Gils CH, Bakker MF, ….Peeters PH, May AM. Int J Cancer, 2014 Apr 26. doi:10.1002/ijc.28926. [Epub ahead of print

• Fruit and vegetable consumption and prospective weight change in participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Physical Activity, Nutrition, Alcohol, Cessation of Smoking, Eating Out of Home, and Obesity study

  Vergnaud AC, Norat T, Romaguera D, et al. Peeters PH. Am J Clin Nutr, 2012 Jan;95(1):184-93

• Alcohol attributable burden of incidence of cancer in eight European countries based on results from prospective cohort study.

  Schütze M, Boeing H, Pischon T, …..Peeters PH, et al Bergmann MM BMJ., 2011 Apr 7;342

• Detection of Lymph Node Metastases by Gadolinium-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

  Klerkx WM, Bax L, Veldhuis WB, Heintz AP, Mali WP, Peeters PH, Moons KG Journal of National Cancer Instistute, 2010 February;102 (4); 244-253

• Effect of exercise on postmenopausal sex hormone levels and role of body fat: a randomized controlled trial

  Monninkhof EM, Velthuis MJ, Peeters PH, Twisk JW, Schuit AJ. J Clin Oncol., 2009 Sep 20;27(27):4492-9.

• Meta-analysis of MR imaging in the diagnosis of breast lesions.

  Peters NH, Borel Rinkes IH, Zuithoff NP, Mali WP, Moons KG, Peeters PH Radiology, 2008 Jan; 246(1); 116 - 124 Epub Nov 16

Related Links

• EPIC.nl

• EPIC

• Address at Imperial College