Jos Spaan

Jos Spaan was born in 1945 in Breda, The Netherlands. He studied Engineering Physics at the University of Technology Eindhoven, The Netherlands. His master thesis (1970) was directed to problems related with the artificial oxygenation of blood in membrane oxygenators. His PhD is also from the University of Technology Eindhoven (1976). His thesis work was on oxygen transport in haemoglobin solutions. During his PhD period he also started the Eindhoven program on Artificial Heart Valves. In 1976 he was appointed senior researcher at the Department of Physiology and Physiological Physics at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. In the autumn of 1981 he was a Visiting Scientist at the CardioVascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, Cal., USA. While continuing his position at Leiden he was appointed Part-Time Professor of Physiological Physics (1983) at the University of Technology Delft, The Netherlands, in the Department of Measurement and Control in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. In 1987 he was appointed Full-Time Professor of Medical Physics in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Amsterdam. His department is part of the Academic Medical Center (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam. He continued his part-time professorship in Delft until 1995. In the summer and autumn of 1996 he was a Visiting Professor at the Department of Cardiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

Since 1976 his main research interest has been directed towards coronary circulation. He and his group developed new concepts and theoretical models for the effect of heart contraction on coronary blood flow and interstitial water balance as well as the control of coronary blood flow. These models were developed in close interaction with animal experiments. Because of the recent developments in technology of the measurement of coronary blood flow in man he is now involved in clinical studies as well. Besides papers in leading physiological and biomedical engineering journals, he has written a monograph and edited several books.

Within the IFMBE he has been chairman of the Publications Committee (1988-1991) and Secretary-General (1991-1997). During his time as chairman of the Publications Committee, two monographs were published by different editors as well as the booklet "On the real Axis" by Dewhurst. As Secretary-General he ran the IFMBE office. From 1994-1997 he was also Secretary-General of IUPESM.