CURRICULUM VITAE
OF
HAN CG KEMPER, Ph.D.
Han CG Kemper is currently full professor in Health with respect to Human Movement at the
EMGO Institute in the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is
born in 1941 in Amsterdam and is married with G Bertheke Kemper-Post. He has two daughters
and four grandchildren.
Han CG Kemper changed career from teaching in physical education at a secondary school (St
Ignatius College in Amsterdam) to an academic position as a registrated (exercise) physiologist at
the University of Amsterdam (Laboratory of Physiology, Medical Faculty and Laboratory of
Psychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology).
He finished his PhD at the Free University in Brussels ( Belgium) in 1968 (title: Experimental
study of the effects of different types of training in arm movements). He was lecturing exercise
physiology and training methods at the Central Institute of Sportstraining (CIOS in Overveen,
NL) and at the Catholic Academy of Physical Education (KALO, Tilburg, NL).
In 1985 he was appointed as full professor at the Faculty of Human Movement Sciences (VU and
UVA). In 1995 he changed his position as full professor at the Medical Faculty to continue his
scientific research within the Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine (EMGO) in the VU
University Medical Center (Vumc) in Amsterdam.
Research
He is the principle investigator of the Amsterdam Growth And Health Longitudinal Study
(AGAHLS). This is a longitudinal study in about 600 13-year old boys and girls. These subjects
are being followed up to age 37 in 2000. During this 23-years follow-up of AGAHLS growth,
physical and psychosocial development, health, and lifestyle characteristics (physical activity,
nutrition, smoking, alcohol usage and stress) are monitored up to nine repeated measurements
between 1976 and 2000. The longitudinal relationships analysed in this study are important for the
detection of causes and prevention of chronic diseases in youth.
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Publications
Han CG Kemper published with his research group more than 300 articles in (inter) national
journals and three monographs about AGAHLS (1985, Karger and 1995, Human Kinetics, and
2004 Karger). He is author of five Dutch textbooks about exercise physiology and health in
children, and co-author of an English textbook Measuring Physical Activity and Energy
Expenditure (1996, Human Kinetics).
He wrote chapters in Physical activity and Health (1992, Cambridge University Press), Sports
Medicine (1990, Decker), Advances in exercise adherence (1995, Human Kinetics), The child and
adolescent athlete (1996, Blackwell) and Paediatric Exercise Science and Medicine (2000, Oxford
University Press).
In the (social) science citation index (dd. march 2006 )about 220 articles are matched with in total
1800 citation hits.
Two international symposia were organised about Paediatric Work Physiology (PWP XI, 1993 in
Papendal, NL) and Problems and Solutions in Longitudinal Research (1996 in Noordwijkerhout,
NL).
Teaching
In the summer of 1995 he was teaching a summer course for (post) graduates at the University of
Madison (Wisconsin, USA) about physical activity epidemiology; in 1996 and 1997 he gave
intensive courses at the University of the North (UNIN) in South Africa for academic staff about
research methodolgy, primary health care epidemiology and research proposal writing.
In 1995 he was member of the committee visiting the three Flemish Universities with a faculty of
physical education in Belgium (Brussels, Gent and Leuven).
In 1996 the students of the Faculty of Human Movement Sciences (VU) elected him as the best
teacher during the academic year 1995/1996.
Advising
He is currently member and president-elect of the research committee of the VU University
Medical Center (1999-present)
Han CG Kemper was a member of several committees concerning health research such as the
Netherlands Heart Foundation (health and activity), and the Health Council of the Netherlands (
member of two committees about prevention of osteoporosis, president of committee about
prevention of overweight and obesity).
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He is the European associate editor of Paediatric Exercise Science, was member of the editorial
board of American J of Human Biology ( 1998- 2003) and International Journal of Sports
Medicine ( 1988-1998), and he is currently reviewer of more than 15 other (inter) national
journals ( Medicina Sportiva, Human Movement, Maturation, American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, Journal of Human Kinetics, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal of
Health, Population and Nutrition, Preventive Medicine, Sports Medicine, European Journal of
Epidemiology, Bone, Int Journal of Osteoporosis, Psychological Reports Perceptual and Motor
Skills, International Journal of Epidemiology, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, European
Journal of Applied Physiology)
In 2001 he is appointed as a member of the Health Council of the Netherlands (The Hague)
Management
Han CG Kemper was from 1981 to 1985 the president of the working group of Exercise
Physiology and Health (University of Amsterdam), vice president of the Scientific Board of the
Dutch Institute of Sport and Health (1983-1989) and from 1986 to 1991 he acted as dean of the
Faculty of Human Movement Sciences (VUA). In 1999 he was appointed in the Netherlands
School of Primary Care Research ( CaRe) as program leader of Prevention and Health Promotion.
Awards
Han CG Kemper received in 1968 for his PhD thesis an outstanding achievement award from the
Free University in Brussels (Belgium). In 1974 and in 1984 he received with his research group
presidential awards for excellence in research by the Dutch Council of Sports Medicine.
In 1993 he became Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
On 22nd of July 1998 he received in the Westminster Cathedral in London an Honorary Degree
from St Mary’s College of the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
In 1999 he was elected to be an Honorary Member of the International Association of Sports
Kinetics.
On 9th of November 2001 he received a second Doctor Honoris Causa in Budapest from the
Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary.
On May 31 2002 he received the Citation Award from the prestigious American College of Sports
Medicine at the 49th Annual meeting held in St Louis, USA based on his publication records in
the field of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
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On March 16 2004 he received a third Doctor Honoris Causa in Riga ( Latvia) from the Riga
Stradins University.
From April 1 2004 he retired from the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam as full
professor and is continuing his scientific work on a part time base as a guest within the EMGO
Institute as a professor emeritus.
Leisure time
Before starting the day he is jogging several times in the week as a preventive strategy against
chronic diseases and he plays once a week lawn- tennis for pleasure. During holidays he and his
wife Bertheke use a tandem to travel over the more than 10.000-km bicycle roads in their country.
They both play golf as part of a joyful and active lifestyle.
From his retirement on he changed from scientific non-fiction articles and books to fiction: stories
for children. One day a week he volunteers in the dutch organization Victims Support ( in dutch :
Slachtofferhulp Nederland).
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