De Vries, employed at UM since 2000, received the medal after his farewell lecture from UM President Rianne Letschert. She referred to him as "someone who is hugely loved" and praised his "great commitment to the faculty, the hospital and the entire university. It's like Nanne was always everywhere, he interfered with every issue we wanted to make policy on."
In particular, his contribution to people's development is praised, including his commitment to HR policy, recognition and rewards, the Professors' Fund and the UM Dissertation Prize. The latter two focus on valuing and encouraging academic talent.
Besides the Tans Medal, De Vries received two more awards on Friday: the MUMC award, presented by Helen Mertens, chair of the MUMC+ Executive Board, and the CAPHRI medal from the hands of Silvia Evers, scientific director of research institute CAPHRI.