Roel Coutinho

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Roel Coutinho
ASC Leiden - Coutinho Collection - G 07 - Ziguinchor, Senegal - Vaccination - 1973.tiff
Coutinho vaccinating PAIGC cadre in Ziguinchor, Senegal, 1973
Born (1946-04-04) April 4, 1946 (age 78)
Laren, North Holland
Occupation(s)Microbiologist, physician
Known forContributions towards infectious disease control

Roel Coutinho (born 4 April 1946) is a Dutch medical doctor, microbiologist and former director of the Centre for the Control of Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

Biography

After finishing a medical degree in Amsterdam in 1972, Coutinho worked in tropical medicine in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. [1] During this time, he worked in the areas liberated by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde during the latter stages of the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence. His work brought him into contact with future leaders of Guinea-Bissau, such as Francisco Mendes and Luís Cabral. [2] He subsequently worked on the eradication of smallpox in Bangladesh, the last major outbreak of the disease, the experience of which led him to focus on public health and infectious diseases for his future career. [1]

Upon returning to the Netherlands he specialised in microbiology and in 1977 became head of the Public Health Department of the Amsterdam Municipal Health Service. He completed an internship with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States and with the emergence of HIV/AIDS he worked on its suppression. In 1984 he completed his doctorate with a thesis on sexually transmitted diseases amongst men who have sex with men. [1] [3]

In 1989 Coutinho was appointed professor of epidemiology at the Academic Medical Centre of the University of Amsterdam. In 2000, he became co-editor of AIDS, the official journal of the International AIDS Society. In February 2005 he joined the National Institute for Public Health and the Environmet as director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Control. [1]

In May 2011 he was appointed professor of life sciences at Utrecht University. In August 2013 he was succeeded by Jaap van Dissel as head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Leiden University Medical Centre following Coutinho's retirement in April. [4]

In 2021, Coutinho was critical of the slowness in the Dutch government's response to vaccinating the population during the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] [6]

In 2022, his recollections and photographs of his time in Guinea-Bissau were published under the title "Guinea-Bissau's struggle for freedom through the eyes of a young doctor". [7] A review of the work, noted, "the power of Coutinho’s account of the independence struggle in Guinea-Bissau lies in the sober description of the daily practice of the armed struggle." [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Vandenbruaene, Marc (2008). "Roel Coutinho—Director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands". The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 8 (9): 539–542. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(08)70201-9. PMC   7158996 . PMID   18718439.
  2. ↑ Damen, Jos (11 July 2016). "Photographs by Roel Coutinho from Guinea-Bissau and Senegal in the 70s online". African Studies Centre, University of Leiden. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Kromhout, Bas. "Roel Coutinho, pionier van de aids-bestrijding" [Roel Coutinho, pioneer in the fight against AIDS]. Historisch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Jaap van Dissel appointed as Director of the RIVM Centre for Infectious Disease Control". www.rivm.nl. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Holligan, Anna (6 January 2021). "Coronavirus: Dutch shocked to be EU vaccination stragglers". BBC News. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "The Dutch style of government: good for dykes, bad for covid". The Economist. 11 December 2021. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "De vrijheidsstrijd van Guinee-Bissau door de ogen van een jonge dokter, Roel Coutinho". ascleiden.nl. The African Studies Centre, University of Leiden. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  8. ↑ Martens, Joris. "Arts en ooggetuige in Guinee-Bissau" [Doctor and eyewitness in Guinea-Bissau]. www.indiestijdschrift.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 May 2024.
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