prof. dr. Piet Nijs

Prof. dr. Piet Nijs was born in Tongeren, Belgium, is married and has 9 children.

He studied philosophy, psychology, medicine and sexology at the universities of Leuven, Belgium, and Hamburg, Germany. Prof. Nijs was psychiatrist-sexologist at the Catholic University Leuven (1977) and was head of a clinic at the University Hospital.

Instigated by Prof. dr. M. Renaer and Prof. dr. G. Buyse, Nijs began to develop the department of gynecological psychosomatics and the consultancy 'Marriage and Family - Sexology' in 1968. This department became a model-unit for gynecological psychosomatics in Europe in 1980 and was recognized at the International Conference on Gynecological Psychosomatics in Cologne, Germany.

As a secretary (1971) and later as managing director professor Nijs has developed the International Institute of Familial and Sexological Sciences.

Prof. Nijs published approximately 500 essays and 30 books on marriage, family, sexuality, (in)fertility, (liaison) psychiatry, psychosomatics and psychotherapy. He has been a member of several international scientific societies, such as the International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, the International Society of Sex Research, the American Board of Sexology, the American College of Sexologists, the Gesellschaft für praktische Sexualmedizin (society for practical sexual healthcare) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sexualforschung (German society for sexological research).

He was co-founder of the European summer seminar of gynaecological psychosomatics in Montpellier (France) and has co-authored publications such as 'Leuven Cahiers for Sexology', 'News: relation and sexuality', 'Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology' and 'International Journal of prenatal and perinatal studies'.

Furthermore Prof. dr. Nijs has been a member of the editorial board of international magazines on psychiatry, psychosomatics and sexology. He is also the founder of the three yearly 'European Symposium on Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gyneacology' and co-founder of the European Federation of Sexology (Geneva) and the European Society of Dance Therapy.

He is honorary citizen of the city of Montpellier (France) and has been awarded a Golden Medal of Honor by the municipalities of Bad Säckingen (Germany) en Kos (Greece). Prof. dr. Nijs is S. honorus causa of the Polish Academy of Sciences (department of Sexology).