Researchers Niek van der Aa

Niek van der Aa

Assistant Professor - medical

Strategic program(s):

Biography

NIek van der Aa is a staff neonatologist at the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital. He obtained a PhD in the field of Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stoke (supervisors prof Linda de Vries, prof Nick Ramsey, prof Onno van Nieuwenhuizen) and has continued working in this field since. He was a visiting scientist at the Department of Neonatology at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, USA and at The Centre for the Developing Brain, UCL, London, UK. After finishing his Neonatology fellowship in 2023, he continued his training as a Neonatal Neurology fellow at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada (dr Vann Chau, dr Emily Tam). In 2024 he started working as a neonatologist at the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital. His research focuses on brain injury and development of the neonatal brain.

Strategic program(s):

Contact

n.vanderaa@umcutrecht.nl

Pure profile

Research groups

Perinatal neuroimaging & neuromonitoring

Research aim

We use longitudinal fetal and neonatal neuroimaging and neuromonitoring to study brain development and function, model brain diseases, and improve long term outcome in high-risk infants.

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Protection and repair of the injured newborn brain

Research aim

Our mission is to unravel the impact of early life adversity, such as perinatal asphyxia and stroke, preterm birth and early life stress on brain development and to design strategies to improve outcome of affected infants, shaping a better future.

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Neonatal neurobehavior and outcome

Research aim

Our aim is to explore how neonatal neurobehavior and environmental factors impact brain development, especially focusing on NICU infants both with and without brain injuries, in order to improve long term outcome.

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Recent publications

All publications

Uneven Distribution of Purkinje Cell Injury in the Cerebellar Vermis of Term Neonates with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Kim V Annink, Ilona C E van Leeuwen, Nina A Smeets, Lianne A J Peeters, Niek E van der Aa, Thomas Alderliesten, Floris Groenendaal, Reint K Jellema, Cora H A Nijboer, Peter G J Nikkels, Martin Lammens, Manon J N L Benders, Freek E Hoebeek, Jeroen Dudink
Cerebellum (London, England), 2025, vol. 24

Dolphin CONTINUE E. Janson, P. C.M.P. Koolschijn, L. Schipper, T. D. Boerma, F. N.K. Wijnen, W. P. de Boode, C. H.P. van den Akker, R. G. Licht-van der Stap, D. H.G.M. Nuytemans, W. Onland, S. A. Obermann-Borst, J. Dudink, C. G.M. de Theije, M. J.N.L. Benders, N. E. van der Aa
BMC Pediatrics, 2024, vol. 24

Introduction of ultra-high-field MR brain imaging in infants I. M. van Ooijen, K. V. Annink, M. J.N.L. Benders, J. Dudink, T. Alderliesten, F. Groenendaal, M. L. Tataranno, M. H. Lequin, J. M. Hoogduin, F. Visser, A. J.E. Raaijmakers, D. W.J. Klomp, E. C. Wiegers, J. P. Wijnen, N. E. van der Aa
Neuroimage: Reports, 2023, vol. 3

Proceedings of the 14th International Newborn Brain Conference Ramy Abramsky, Ceyda Acun, Jesse Alt, Hany Aly, Noa Arad, Lisanne M Baak, Dana Bakalar, Thameya Balasingham, Theo Bammler, Manon J N L Benders, Diana Benitez, Elisa Boni, Geraldine Boylan, Ellie Campbell, Paola Castri, Priyanka Chandrashekar, Raul Chavez-Valdez, May Chen, Elisabetta Chiodin, Bryan Comstock, Janie Damien, Janie Damien, Linda de Vries, Linda de Vries, Jacky Dickman, Leslie Doucette, Ellie Duckworth, Ellie Duckworth, Carlos Echeverria-Palacio, Ramy El Jalbout, Mohamed El-Dib, Hoda Elshibiny, Debbie Flock, Anne Gallagher, Enrica Gasperoni, Hannah Glass, Johanneke C Harteman, Kelly Harvey-Jones, Itay Hazan, Patrick Heagerty, Terrie Inder, Lauren Jantzie, Sandra Juul, Sreenivas Karnati, Nazli Kute, Helene Lacaille, Frederic Lange, Petra M A Lemmers, Wei Liu, Nathalie Llaguno, Mauricio Magalhães, Ivan Mambule, Bohdana Marandyuk, Kyla Marks, Lee J Martin, An Massaro, Sean Mathieson, Sean Mathieson, Melisa Carrasco McCaul, Christopher Meehan, Irina Meledin, Elisa Menna, Federica Menzato, Alison Mintoft, Subhabrata Mitra, Annettee Nakimuli, Carol Nanyunya, Georgina Norris, Frances J Northington, Adam Numis, Jiaqi J O'Reilly, Sandra Ortiz, Swetha Padiyar, Natacha Paquette, Lucio Parmeggiani, Silvia Patrizi, Elena Pavlidis, Serena Pellegrin, Anna A Penn, Laurence Petitpas, Elana Pinchefsky, Alessandra Ponta, Jacopo Proietti Subhash Puthuraya, Rana Rais, Nicola J Robertson, Daniela Rodrigues, Michela Salandin, Jacquelyn Salzbank, Lilia Sánchez, Nienke Schalij, Carolina Serrano-Tabares, Eilon Shany, Alex Staffler, Sylke Steggerda, Ilias Tachtsidis, Cally Tann, Maria Luisa Tataranno, Chiara Trabatti, Julie Tremblay, Selma Tromp, Katie Tucker, Victoria Turnbill, Claire-Marie Vacher, Frank van Bel, Niek E van der Aa, Krisa Van Meurs, Andrea Van Steenis, Linda van Wyk, Phetsamone Vannasing, Gabriel Variane, Vinita Verma, Emily Voldal, Nienke Wagenaar, Yvonne Wu, Courtney Wustoff
Journal of neonatal-perinatal medicine, 2023, vol. 16, p.S33-S62

Detecting Asymmetry of Upper Limb Activity with Accelerometry in Infants at Risk for Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy Cornelia H. Verhage, Jan Willem Gorter, Tim Takken, Manon J.N.L. Benders, Linda S. de Vries, Niek E. van der Aa, Nienke Wagenaar
Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 2023, vol. 44, p.1-15

Effect of Systemic Hydrocortisone on Brain Abnormalities and Regional Brain Volumes in Ventilator-dependent Infants Born Preterm Nienke M. Halbmeijer, Wes Onland, Jeroen Dudink, Filip Cools, Anne Debeer, Anton H. van Kaam, Manon J.N.L. Benders, Niek E. van der Aa
Journal of Pediatrics, 2023, vol. 265