Marianne de Visser, MD, PhD, Receives AANEM's 2024 Honorary Member Award

The AANEM Honorary Member Award is granted to nonmember physicians or scientific investigators who are major contributors to the field of EDX, neurophysiology, NM, or MSK disease through teaching, research, and scholarly publications. This year, Marianne de Visser, MD, PhD, has been recognized with this award for her achievements in the area of NMDs and for her dedication to her students, patients, and research.

Dr. de Visser received her medical degree from the University of Amsterdam in 1975 and completed her neurology and PhD training at the Academic Hospital of the University of Amsterdam. She was a visiting scientist at Dr. Andrew Engel’s lab at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she focused on ultrastructural studies in dermatomyositis. She is currently a NMD professor at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Her area of clinical interest and research is NMDs, with a significant focus on muscle diseases. Dr. de Visser is an internationally renowned expert in myopathies. She has published more than 300 peer-reviewed original papers, 35 chapters, and edited 4 books. She is the current section editor for NMDs in the upcoming Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences, 3rd Edition. Many of her publications are highly cited and are important contributions to the field of NMDs. She has supervised and mentored numerous PhD students and dozens of clinical NM postdoctoral fellows during her distinguished career.

Some of Dr. de Visser’s notable leadership positions include president of the Netherland Society of Neurology, trustee of the World Federation of Neurology, vice president of the Health Council of the Netherlands, secretary-general of the European Academy of Neurology, and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Dutch Brain Foundation. Although she has many achievements and accolades, she says her greatest honor is meeting with patients and their families. “I feel privileged to meet with patients who are remarkably resilient despite the fact that they have to face living with a chronic disease or, in the case of ALS, a markedly reduced life expectancy and a severe disease burden,” she says. This dedication to her patients, students, and research earned her the 2024 AANEM Honorary Membership Award. 

“I am deeply honored to have been selected for this prestigious award. I am indebted to the AANEM Awards Committee, Board of Directors, and, in particular, to Dr. John England for nominating me. I consider the AANEM an extremely important organization for my subspecialty of NMDs. I am also humbled because so many highly esteemed colleagues have received this award,” says Dr. de Visser. She says she is pleased to receive the award and looks forward to networking with peers and viewing the latest educational materials and field highlights at the upcoming AANEM Annual Meeting.