Meta Van den Heuvel

Dr. Meta Van den Heuvel completed her paediatric subspecialty training at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After that she completed a social paediatric fellowship at the University Medical Center Groningen and an Academic Paediatric Fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children. In 2016, she obtained a PhD in “Developmental and Behavioral Problems in Pediatric Primary Care” at the Institute of Health Research (SHARE), University of Groningen. She works in the Infant & Toddler Growth and Feeding clinic in The Hospital for Sick Children. She also works and in the community in the Nelson Mandela Park Public School Clinic, affiliated with St. Michael’s Pediatric Ambulatory Clinic. 

Research

Van den Heuvel's research interests are developmental and behavioral problems in children and the social environment in which these problems take place. Clinically, She works in Infant & Toddler Growth and Feeding Clinic at SickKids. Her research examines childhood temperament and feeding practices in this patient population. Globally, she works in the field of early child development. She is an investigator with the neurodevelopment working group of the Childhood Acute Illness Network (CHAIN). This working group has as main research objective to investigate neuro-developmental outcomes in children with different nutritional profiles in Low- and Middle-Income Countrie.

1. Van den Heuvel M, Ma J, Borkhoff C, Koroshegyi C, Dai DWH, Parkin PC, Maguire JL, Birken CS. Mobile Media Device Use is Associated with Expressive Language Delay in 18-Month-Old Children. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2019 Feb/Mar 40(2): pp 99-104 [Impact Factor: 2.4] (PA)
2. Van den Heuvel M, Voskuijl W, Chidzalo K, Kerac M, Reijneveld SA, Bandsma R, Gladstone M. Developmental and Behavioral Problems in Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition in Malawi. A Cross Sectional Study. J Glob Health. 2017 Dec 7(2): 020416 [Impact Factor: 3.6] (PA)
3. Van den Heuvel M, Jansen DEMC, Stewart RE, Smits- Engelsman BCM, Reijneveld SA, Flapper BCT. How Reliable and Valid is the Teacher Version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in Primary School Children? PLoS One. 2017 Apr 12(4): e0176605. [Impact Factor 3.2] (PA)
4. Daniel Al, Bandsma RH, Lytvyn L, Voskuijl WP, Potani I, Van den Heuvel M. Psychosocial Stimulation Interventions for Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition: A Systematic Review. J Glob Health. 2017 Jun 7(1): 010405 [Impact Factor: 3.6] (SRA)
5. Van den Heuvel M, Chen Y, Abdullah K, Maguire JL, Parkin PC, Birken CS, TARGET Kids! Collaboration. The Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations of Temperament and Nutrition Risk in Early Childhood. Pediatr Obes. 2017 Dec 12(6): pp 431-438. [Impact Factor: 4.6] (PA)

Funding

• 2016: Co-Principal Investigator: Grand Challenges Canada. The Kusamala program: An intervention for primary caregivers of children hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition in Malawi.