Rate My Professor Ingrid van der Mei

Professor Ingrid van der Mei is a Professor in Epidemiology at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, part of the College of Health and Medicine at the University of Tasmania. Originally from the Netherlands and now based in Hobart, Australia, she has a background in human movement sciences and environmental health sciences. She began her research career in 1998 with a PhD investigating the relationship between sun exposure and multiple sclerosis (MS). Her academic interests center on MS epidemiology, including environmental risk factors such as sun exposure, vitamin D levels, ultraviolet radiation effects, autoimmune diseases, and central nervous system demyelination. She leads research projects on MS causes, disease management, progression, and impacts on quality of life and employment. As the managing director of the Australian Multiple Sclerosis Longitudinal Study (AMSLS), she directs a nationwide cohort study that tracks MS prevalence, incidence trends, and clinical outcomes, contributing key data to national reports, such as the revelation of a $3 billion annual cost of MS in Australia.

Professor van der Mei's scholarly impact is evidenced by over 13,000 citations across her publications. Among her most influential works are 'Rising prevalence of multiple sclerosis worldwide: Insights from the Atlas of MS' (2020, Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 3373 citations), 'Latitude is significantly associated with the prevalence of multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis' (2011, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 1067 citations), 'Past exposure to sun, skin phenotype, and risk of multiple sclerosis: case-control study' (2003, BMJ, 779 citations), 'Higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with lower relapse risk in multiple sclerosis' (2010, Annals of Neurology, 674 citations), and 'Sun exposure and vitamin D are independent risk factors for CNS demyelination' (2011, Neurology, 511 citations). She has secured major funding, including a Multiple Sclerosis Australia Senior Research Fellowship valued at $650,000. In 2022, she received the Menzies Institute for Medical Research Impact Prize for translating her findings into practical benefits for society, such as fact sheets on MS pain management and tools for healthcare communication. Her contributions extend to supervising PhD students and collaborating on interdisciplinary MS research initiatives.