Guest Editorial - DCID: A New Era

Steven van Berlekom started his career in 1983 as a pediatric physiotherapist in Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat, Utrecht, The Netherlands. He specialized in the treatment of children and youngsters with neurological disorders (age 2 – 20).

In the early 90’s he became interested in the importance of effective organization and dedicated management for quality of care. He completed a Masters in Business Administration at Henley Management College/Brunel University (UK) in 1995. Through various management positions he found his passion in the management of the Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, a partnership between the University Medical Center Utrecht and De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation.  This position gave him the opportunities to become involved in professional (scientific) projects, amongst which the search for reliable and meaningful outcome measures for rehabilitation medicine. Here was Steven involved in the development, by professor Marcel Post, of the ‘USER’; the Utrecht Scale for the Evaluation of Rehabilitation.

In 2008 Steven became member of the board of Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat. A leading Rehab Centers in The Netherlands. In that role he became ambassador for quality of care and a faster implementation of scientific knowledge in professional practice.

Stevens most recent career-change was in 2018 the switch towards International Development. As the executive-director of Liliane Foundation and MIVA, much of his former experiences are of use. Related to his function is a role in the board of the Dutch Coalition Disability and Development (DCDD) and an honorable place as adviser/member of the CBR Global Network (CGN).