Professor Henk Schmidt was the first winner of the Karolinska Prize for Research in Medical Education in 2004.
He is a professor of psychology at Erasmus University’s faculty of social sciences and founding dean of its problem-based psychology curriculum. Between 2009 and 2013, he was the Vice-Chancellor (‘Rector Magnificus’) of Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
His research in the field of medical education is outstanding and highly original. His special research areas are problem-based learning, clinical reasoning, and the acquisition of expertise in medicine. Professor Schmidt’s work has had a great impact on the research field, and many of his former students have become prominent and influential researchers. His studies have inspired applications in not only problem-based learning but have promoted student-centred practices in general.
Professor Schmidt’s research has influenced medical education worldwide and his influence goes beyond the field of medical education into education.