Van Dongen-Boomsma will focus on promoting healthy mental development in (young) children with vulnerable development. Central to this work is an understanding of how biological, psychological and social factors influence one another, with particular attention to the importance of a safe and supportive social-relational environment. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the factors that promote or hinder children’s development, in order to develop an integrative understanding and approach that enables prevention, diagnosis and treatment to be deployed more effectively.
The chair’s research and teaching will focus on themes including mental health and developmental problems in early childhood, relational trauma in early childhood, severe early regulation difficulties, and the importance of a resilient social-relational context. The knowledge gained will be translated into education and clinical practice, with the aim of sustainably strengthening the mental health of children and their families.
Van Dongen-Boomsma: ‘As Maria Montessori once said: “The young child is both a hope and a promise for humanity.” Every child brings genuine value to this world. Above all, it is the world around the child that can nurture this value to its full potential by responding to children’s care and developmental needs. If care needs are not adequately met and/or developmental needs are too complex, children may experience mental health problems from a very young age. A supportive environment and opportunities for development during the early years of life are particularly important for later development. This is why mental health care for young children is so important.’
About Martine van Dongen-Boomsma
Martine van Dongen-Boomsma (born in 1978 in IJsselstein) began her academic career at Utrecht University, where she graduated in Medicine in 2004. Between 2006 and 2011, she trained as a psychiatrist at Radboudumc. In 2014, she obtained her PhD with the thesis Need, Quest & Evidence: Resting-State Oscillations, Neurofeedback, and Working Memory Training in ADHD, in which she studied children with ADHD. She subsequently co-founded Centrum Jonge Kind Karakter, where she became a child and adolescent psychiatrist, as well as Head of Scientific Research and Programme Director. She is also a certified mindfulness trainer.
In January 2026, she, along with prof. dr. H. Bruining, received a grant of almost €1.5 million from the Hersenstichting to conduct research into children with sensory processing difficulties, such as those associated with autism, ADHD or brain injury.