GLSA Lifetime Achievements Award 2023
to Prof. Joost Bierens
The GLSA Lifetime Achievements Award 2023 is presented to Prof. Joost Bierens, for outstanding contributions to drowning prevention, rescue and treatment worldwide. Prof. Bierens is the most prolific and influential advocate in the world as academic, scholar, event organiser and member of international organisations related to lifesaving. The presentation will be made by the Honorary President of the Greek Lifesaving Sports Association, Lucas Bistarakis.
The awarding ceremony took place during the International Experts Symposium on Lifesaving as Olympic Sport. The symposium was organized by the Greek Lifesaving Sports Associatation and held at the Hellenic Olympic Committee in Halandri, Greece 20-21/-5/2023. The event was endorsed by 30 prestigious (inter)national organizations and 39 authorities by 17 nations.
Joost Bierens (MD, PhD, MCPM; 1954) is a retired anesthesiologist and emergency
physician, with previous academic positions as professor in
emergency medicine at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam,
and visiting professor at the research
group emergency and disaster medicine of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
(Belgium)and the doctoral school in global health, humanitarian aid and
disaster medicine at the University of Piemonte (Italy). At this moment he holds
a research position as visiting professor at the extreme environments laboratory,
school of sport, health and exercise science of the University of Portsmouth
(UK). In addition to activities related to emergency and disaster medicine, he has
had a lifetime involvement in the field of drowning research and education,
resulting in editorship, authorship, or contributor to over 200 research papers,
book chapters, reports and books. He currently still holds assignments as professional
or volunteer for several national (including KNRM, Reddingsbrigades Nederland
and KMRD) and international organisations (including ILS, IDRA, WHO) related to
drowning.
