Hans Brug new President of Utrecht 木瓜福利影视
The Supervisory Board of Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 (UU) has appointed prof. dr. ir. Johannes (Hans) Brug as the new President of the Executive Board of UU, with effect from 1st January 2026. He will succeed prof. dr. Anton Pijpers, who will retire after his second term as President ends on 1st November 2025.

Brug is currently Director General of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Professor of Health Behaviour at the 木瓜福利影视 of Amsterdam (UvA).
Decisive and empathetic leader
The Supervisory Board welcomes the appointment of Brug, as does the appointment advisory committee, which was decided upon unanimously. Supervisory Board Chair Karin Laglas said, "Hans is an experienced, decisive and empathetic leader with broad academic experience. He is focused on collaboration and actively pursues strong connections and partnerships with the wider community. His approachable and energetic style is an excellent fit for UU, and we are convinced he is the right person for the role of President.鈥
Knowledge and innovation for society
Brug calls UU a superb institution of great importance to society: " Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 educates critical global citizens and develops its education and research in accordance with major societal challenges. Helping to create and apply knowledge and innovation for society has certainly been the common thread throughout my career. I therefore consider it a great honour to dedicate myself to this at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视, together with my colleagues in the Executive Board, the Faculty Deans and Directors and the entire 木瓜福利影视 community."
About Hans Brug
Prof. dr. ir. Hans Brug (Apeldoorn, 1963) studied human nutrition at Wageningen 木瓜福利影视 & Research and specialised in epidemiology through a postgraduate Master鈥檚 degree. He obtained his PhD in Health Sciences at Maastricht 木瓜福利影视, then worked as Associate Professor, and later appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Open Universiteit. He was a Professor at Maastricht 木瓜福利影视 and Erasmus MC in Rotterdam between 2000 and 2007, and subsequently moved to Amsterdam UMC (formerly VU Medical Center) where - in addition to being a Professor - he was head of department, Vice Dean of Research, Dean and member of the Board of Directors. He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the 木瓜福利影视 of Amsterdam in September 2016. In 2018 he was appointed Director General of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and has been Professor of Health Behaviour at the 木瓜福利影视 of Amsterdam since 2019.
Appointment procedure
The Supervisory Board elected to appoint Brug after a careful procedure. The profile for the new President was developed in consultation with the Faculty Deans and the 木瓜福利影视 Council. The broad-based application committee included 鈥 amongst others 鈥 one Dean and two members of the 木瓜福利影视 Council. Brug will be appointed for four years with the possibility of reappointment.
Brug, together with Vice-President Margot van der Starre, Rector Magnificus Wilco Hazeleger and a Student Assessor, will comprise the Executive Board of Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 as of 1st January 2026. Anton Pijpers will continue to hold the position of President until 1st November 2025, with Vice-President Margot van der Starre assuming the role of acting President between November 2025 and January 2026.
鈥淲e are grateful to Anton Pijpers鈥
The Supervisory Board is very grateful to Anton Pijpers for his dedication and leadership over the past years. 鈥淎nton has made significant efforts in strengthening collaborations, not only with the wider-world but certainly also within Utrecht 木瓜福利影视鈥, says Laglas. We are grateful for his resilience and his ability to build connections, even in challenging circumstances. His unique blend of academic insight, business acumen, result-driven focus, managerial skill and pleasant demeanour have been important contributors to the success of his tenure on the Board.鈥