Public and Occupational Health is  the link between medicine and the health of the population. Public and Occupational Health physicians direct their activities towards interaction with the environment, in particular in the field of prevention and organizational prerequisites. In this respect, the focus is more on the (sub-)population than on the individual.

The practical domain of Public and Occupational Health consists of two main areas: Community Medicine and Occupational Medicine.  In the Netherlands, 20-25% of all physicians are involved in Public and Occupational Health, and the majority of these physicians are registered as such.

The field of scientific research in Public and Occupational Health is broader than the practical domain.  As a scientific discipline, Public and Occupational Health is involved in two major issues: Public and Occupational Health and Health Care. The research carried out is mainly of an epidemiological and social-scientific nature, usually in the form of applied and multidisciplinary research in which physicians collaborate with sociologists, psychologists, health scientists, human movement scientists, anthropologists, etc. This is reflected in the composition of the staff of our Department.