After completing her pre-university education Rick Kwekkeboom (1958) studied Home Economics at Wageningen University & Research (www.wur.nl), where she specialized in societal and mental healthcare. Rick started her career in 1985 as a scientific officer at the Research Staff Office with the Dutch Ministry of Wellfare, National Health and Culture. At this Ministry she was employed In 1991 she switched to the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (www.scp.nl) where she conducted research in the local policy and services for people with long term limitations (physical or mental).

In 2001 she acquired her doctorate degree by researching public support and resources for community mental health care. Between 2003 and 2009 she combined her work at SCP with the position of Professor of Community Care at Avans Hogescholen in the south of the Netherlands. In January 2010 Rick was appointed Professor of Community Care at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS).

Besides her work for AUAS, Rick still tries to find time to work as a textile artist. She studied in Stockholm, Sweden at Textilhögskolan where she learned several (traditional) Scandinavian textile techniques.

• Research Group Community Care