In memory: Andrea Evers (1967-2025)

She was one of those scientists whose passion for research was palpable. This was widely recognised and acknowledged, as evidenced by the many prestigious awards and grants she received, including the Veni, Vidi and Vici grants; ERC grants; and the Stevin Prize. Andrea’s ambition for innovative health research extended far beyond her own field. As a Professor of Health Psychology in Leiden, she actively pursued interdisciplinary collaborations. Since 2019, she had been affiliated with our Faculty, the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, as a Medical Delta Professor, where she enthusiastically participated in joint research projects such as Benefit4All, Healthy Storytelling, and Enduring Rewards.

Through her inspiring approach, Andrea connected people and motivated them to engage in interdisciplinary health research. In her roles on the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, she played a pivotal part in fostering a more positive and innovative appreciation of health in both scientific and social policy. Andrea’s infectious positive energy, human involvement, and belief in major changes made it a pleasure to work alongside her. Andrea had a special gift for challenging others in an honest and open way. This encouraged them to bring out their very best. With a genuine interest in people, she appreciated everyone’s unique qualities. By setting ambitious, sometimes abstract, but always innovative project goals, she created exactly the space needed for those qualities to develop further.

One of her last major initiatives was the establishment of the Healthy Society consortium, a collaboration in which IDE is involved. With this project, Andrea wanted to improve the health of South Holland’s residents and break free from the ivory tower of siloed science. As the initiator and driving force, she managed to bring together countless people: scientists from various disciplines, social organisations, the province, and citizens. Thanks to her efforts, Healthy Society now has a strong foundation and can continue to develop in the coming years. For Andrea, science and health only truly flourished through collaboration – and she worked tirelessly to achieve this.

Andrea’s positive and sociable nature, which inspired others, seemed to be deeply rooted within her. Even toward the end of her life, she enjoyed deep conversations with others and continued to marvel at her own positive mindset. Her enduring wonder at the human spirit will continue to be an inspiration for us to keep exploring and appreciating life.