Manon Hillegers

Manon Hillegers is a Full Professor at Erasmus MC in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychology. Her research is centered on the development of psychopathology in youth, particularly focusing on offspring of individuals with bipolar disorder and the long-term trajectories of mental health.

Her research interests span a wide range of topics in child and adolescent mental health, including Bipolar Disorder, Offspring Risk, Brain Development, Mood Disorders, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. She employs longitudinal and intensive data collection methods to understand the onset and progression of mental health conditions.

The recent publications highlight a strong trend in using innovative methodologies such as the Experience Sampling Method and large cohort studies to investigate both psychological and biological markers of mental illness. Her work bridges clinical psychiatry with developmental neuroscience and immunology, particularly in perinatal and adolescent contexts.

Dr. Hillegers has supervised 14 junior researchers or students, indicating a strong commitment to academic mentoring. While no specific grants are mentioned, her involvement in large multicenter studies suggests significant research funding. She is actively involved in advancing methodological rigor in adolescent mental health research.

Her research network is extensive, with collaborations across multiple countries and disciplines, particularly in the areas of neuroscience, immunology, and developmental psychiatry. She leads and contributes to major longitudinal initiatives such as the Dutch Bipolar Offspring Study.