Alvin Westmaas
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Maastricht University, the Netherlands
mixed methods, performance and image enhancing drugs, stigma, bodybuilding
Alvin Westmaas is a Ph.D. researcher associated with Maastricht University and an Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam. As a mixed-method researcher, he has a strong preference for conducting research within difficult to reach populations in order to identify and understand the mechanisms related to taboo-related behaviors. During his Ph.D. trajectory, he spent time researching migrant populations in the Netherlands by means of a spiral approach research. Alvin Westmaas is also known for his expertise in culturally based and culturally sensitive research, focusing on both the positive, unique and negative beliefs within a community. Lastly, he was involved in different studies for developing/identifying a common language between healthcare providers and the research population. At the moment, Alvin is working on research, which integrates both social and health psychology by means of the Intervention Mapping protocol. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms in motivation of recreational gym users and competitive athletes for using performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs). Also, he is focusing on the experienced stigma of, and the attitude from the social environment towards gym users and performance and image enhancing drug users. As he is a competitive fitness athlete himself, he has easier access to the research population and is closer to the influencing factors of sports. Email Alvin: alvin.westmaas@maastrichtuniversity.nl is a Ph.D. researcher associated with Maastricht University and an Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam. As a mixed-method researcher, he has a strong preference for conducting research within difficult to reach populations in order to identify and understand the mechanisms related to taboo-related behaviors. During his Ph.D. trajectory, he spent time researching migrant populations in the Netherlands by means of a spiral approach research. Alvin Westmaas is also known for his expertise in culturally based and culturally sensitive research, focusing on both the positive, unique and negative beliefs within a community. Lastly, he was involved in different studies for developing/identifying a common language between healthcare providers and the research population. At the moment, Alvin is working on research, which integrates both social and health psychology by means of the Intervention Mapping protocol. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms in motivation of recreational gym users and competitive athletes for using performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs). Also, he is focusing on the experienced stigma of, and the attitude from the social environment towards gym users and performance and image enhancing drug users. As he is a competitive fitness athlete himself, he has easier access to the research population and is closer to the influencing factors of sports.