Research Team
Prof. Dr. Ashley J. Duits
Head of the Department of Immunology, Curaçao Biomedical and Health Research Institute (CBHRI)
Prof. Dr. A.J. Duits obtained his master in Biochemistry and Immunolgy at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. He obtained his PhD degree at the Department of Immunology of the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), the Netherlands, on the topic of interleukin-6. He then trained as a medical immunologist at the laboratory of Medical Immunology of the UMCU. Starting 1994, he was appointed Director of the Red Cross Blood Bank Foundation in Curaçao and as medical immunologist at the Clinical Laboratory of the St. Elisabeth Hospital. The Red Cross Blood Bank Foundaiton as a PAHO partner for the region with him as advisor.
Prof. Dr. Ajay Bailey
Professor of Social Urban Transitions, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, International Development Studies, Utrecht University
Prof. Dr. Ajay Bailey leads the research line Global Migration, Culture and Place working at the interface of anthropology, geography, demography and public health. He holds the prestigious Dr T. M. A. Pai Endowed Chair in Qualitative Methods at Manipal University, India, named after Dr. Tonse Madhav Ananth, the founder of the University. Prof. Dr. Bailey is passionate about qualitative research, teaching, and capacity building of young researchers.
Dr. Benedicta Deogratias
Researcher and Lecturer of General Law, Law Faculty, University of Aruba
Benedicta is a researcher and lecturer of general law at the Law Faculty of the University of Aruba. Her research focuses predominantly on human rights topics related to women’s rights, social inequalities and racial discrimination.
Prof. Dr. Antonio Carmona Baez
President, University of St. Maarten
Prof. Dr. Antonio Carmona Báez serves as president of the University of St. Maarten. He is specialized in International Relations and the Political Economy of Development. He has taught Political Science and Social Sciences courses at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Puerto Rico. His current research agenda includes: public policy of higher education, climate change challenges, economic diversity and food security.
Dr. Elisabeth Echteld
Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of Curaçao (UoC) | Director of the University of Curaçao Research Institute (UCRI)
Dr. Elisabeth Echteld is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Curaçao (UoC). She has a background in language, literature, education and culture with a focus on the Caribbean region. She is the current Director of the University of Curaçao Research Institute (UCRI), coordinating different research projects.
Ilse van Liempt
Associate Professor in Urban Geography, Human Geography Department,Utrecht University
Ilse van Liempt is Associate Professor in Urban Geography in the Human Geography Department of Utrecht University. Her expertise is on qualitative methods, ethics, irregular migration and refugee migration.
Jelte Elsinga, MD, PhD.
Medical Doctor, Infectious Diseases
Jelte Elsinga, MD, PhD, is a Medical Doctor currently specialising in Infectious Diseases. His interest lies in global health research benefiting disadvantaged populations. During his PhD, and after, he performed interdisciplinary and mixed-methods research, with a focus on quality of life and health behaviours.
Merel Griffith-Lendering, PhD.
Merel Griffith-Lendering (PhD) was born and raised in Curaçao and has been involved in various (scientific and practice-oriented) research projects in recent years. Research themes include: (special) education, SDGs, health behavior, sexual abuse, theme "mild intellectual disability" and poverty. On behalf of Curaçao Biomedical and Health Research Institute (CBHRI), she was involved in the NWO-funded project SONORO; a long-term study of health behavior in Curaçao.
Dr. Mieke de Droog
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science | Program Director of the Aruba Institute for Good Governance & Leadership | Program Manager, Bachelor Program, Organization, Governance, and Management, University of Aruba
Dr. Mieke de Droog is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Program Director of the Aruba Institute for Good Governance and Leadership, and the Program Manager of the bachelor program Organization, Governance, and Management of the University of Aruba. Her research expertise is in the field of organizational sciences, with a particular interest in well-being, inclusion, and enhancement of public services, based on the strengths of the persons involved and collaboration.
Jantina (Tineke) Alberts, PhD.
Head of the Department of Social Sciences, Curaçao Biomedical and Health Research Institute’s (CBHRI)
Tineke Alberts studied Medical Sociology and obtained her PhD degree at Faculty of Medicine of the University of Groningen. Currently, she is the Head of Curaçao Biomedical and Health Research Institute’s (CBHRI) Department of Social Sciences. She is specialized in research on determinants of health services utilization and socioeconomic health inequalities.
Drs Raymond Jessurun
Sociologist | Active Human Rights Defender | Researcher Coordinator
Drs Raymond Jessurun is a Sociologist and an active human rights defender. As Research Coordinator at the University of St. Maarten, he is a participant in the research team of COVIDCAS on St. Maarten.
Elly Hellings
Elly Hellings obtained her master's degree in Sociology and Cultural Sciences at Tilburg University (1992), with a specialisation in emancipation and development of vulnerable groups. Since 1999, she has lived and worked in Curaçao where she has held various program management and research positions in the fields of youth development, community development, education and poverty reduction.