Reshape

We are saddened to pass on the news that our colleague Herman Schaalma passed away quite suddenly last Saturday. Herman came to Maastricht in 1990 for his PhD research at the Department of Health Education at the former Faculty of Health Sciences. In 2005 he moved to the Faculty of Psychology were he was appointed endowed professor for AIDS prevention.

And what a man he was. Colourful. Unconventional. Inspiring. There are many students, PhD candidates and colleagues who will remember him fondly. If you worked with Herman you would have realised very quickly that his nonchalance concealed his tremendous passion for scientific work. “Just act normal” was his motto. That made him special. We will all miss him terribly.

Introduction

The Maastricht Center for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education (RESHAPE) is a group of researchers who are primarily interested in AIDS/HIV related topics. RESHAPE conducts research projects focussed at various behavioral, social and cultural aspects of HIV/AIDS. Most of RESHAPE's research activities are action driven: the research supports the design of interventions focussed at the prevention of HIV infection and at reducing the social consequences of the Aids epidemic.

RESHAPE's research activities include nine areas of special attention: (1) young people, (2) homosexual men, (3) HIV positive men who have sex with men, (4) drug users, (5) migrant women, (6) developing countries, (7) stigma, (8) Public Health Campaigns, and (9) 'evidence-based' intervention development (Intervention Mapping).

Most of RESHAPE's research activities are funded by the Dutch AIDS Foundation and by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). RESHAPE is directed by Gerjo Kok, professor of Applied Psychology, who also held the endowed chair for AIDS Prevention for the Dutch Aids Foundation from 1992-2006, and Harm Hospers, holder of the endowed chair of Experimental Health Psychology and Homosexuality. From 2006 until 2009, Herman Schaalma was the holder of the endowed chair for AIDS Prevention and also directed RESHAPE. RESHAPE participates in the Research Institute for Psychology & Health (http://pandh.fss.uu.nl). Psychology & Health is accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.