He holds a MSc in Health Sciences and Epidemiology, and he obtained his PhD on the public health impact of obesity. As a postdoc he entered the field of prevention and health promotion. Tommy has served as president for the Netherlands Association for the Study of Obesity and as the Chair of the Prevention and Public Health Taskforce by the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). For EASO he has joined the EU-platform on healthy diet and physical activity and co-founded the Patient Council. For the EPODE International Network (EIN), Tommy served as a member of the scientific advisory board from its’ start. To date, he serves as a board member for EIN. For JOGG (JOGG/Youth at a Healthy Weight), he serves as the chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. His home-town Zwolle is the first JOGG city.