Jenny Visser - Metabolism & Reproduction Group

Jenny A. Visser, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she leads the Metabolism and Reproduction Laboratory. She studied Animal Science at Wageningen University and obtained her PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam with a thesis titled “Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH): Molecular mechanisms of action.” She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she identified one of the AMH type I receptors. Upon being recruited back to Erasmus MC, she expanded her research on AMH and played a pivotal role in the development of the widely used AMH assay and in establishing AMH levels as a clinical marker of ovarian reserve.
 
Dr. Visser’s current research program centers on understanding the biological mechanisms underlying obesity, metabolic health, and its interaction with reproductive dysfunction, with a strong emphasis on sex differences. Her work centers on three key areas:
* Genetic and molecular drivers of obesity, including how patient‑specific mutations alter metabolic signaling pathways.
* Sex‑specific regulation of adipose tissue, investigating how brown and white fat respond differently to sex steroids and glucocorticoids.
* Regulation of anti‑Müllerian hormone (AMH) in PCOS, aiming to understand how AMH contributes to both reproductive and metabolic dysfunction.
 
Her laboratory integrates physiological, genetic, molecular, and cellular approaches in mouse models, human cell systems—including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)—and population cohorts. This translational framework aims to uncover mechanisms that can ultimately guide patient‑tailored therapeutic strategies.
 
Leadership, Service, and Professional Activities
Within Internal Medicine, Dr. Visser chairs the executive committee of the Clinical and Experimental Medicine initiative (CEMi), which aims, amongst others, to strengthen research integration across basic, translational, and clinical domains within the department. She is also a member of the management team of the Netherlands Health Research and Innovation Center (NL‑WHRIC) at Erasmus MC.

Internationally, she is a member of the international Genetics of PCOS (iPCOS) and the Reproductive Genetics (ReproGen) Consortia. She has held multiple leadership roles within the European Society of Endocrinology, including co‑chairing the Focus Area Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology and co‑founding and formerly co-chairing European Women in Endocrinology (EUWIN). For the Endocrine Society, Dr. Visser has served in several high‑impact roles, including Chair of the Annual Meeting Steering Committee for ENDO 2023, member of the Board of Directors, and chair of the Nominating Committee. She currently serves as Deputy Editor for Endocrinology and as Early Career Reviewer Advisor for the Endocrine Society journals.

 Links:

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jenny-Visser