Fellow 8 (project 2.8)

The healthcare sector is responsible for a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions and faces increasing challenges from climate change, including direct health impacts such as increased incidence of heat-related illnesses, respiratory conditions due to diminished air quality, and vector-borne diseases, as well as risks to infrastructure and supply chains. This makes it essential to address environmental sustainability within the healthcare system through both mitigation strategies, such as reducing emissions and waste, and adaptation measures, such as enhancing resilience to climate-related health risks. However, decision-making processes often fail to create meaningful environmental impact because of the limited information available to guide their decision-making. There is also a need to understand the interplay between sustainability goals and other critical aspects of healthcare systems, such as workforce capacity and financial pressures. 
HealthIntelAct aims to empower decision-makers by providing actionable performance intelligence to enhance sustainable healthcare governance, integrating environmental sustainability into performance assessment and management. By addressing gaps in data, indicators, and tools, the project seeks to develop capacity and capabilities for informed, balanced decision-making. 

The research will focus on: 

• Developing a comprehensive set of environmental sustainability indicators tailored for use in healthcare systems. 
• Creating tools and strategies to embed environmental impact considerations into governance and decision-making processes by health purchasers, regulatory agencies, governments and health technology assessment (HTA) bodies. 
• Exploring tensions, trade-offs, and co-benefits between environmental sustainability and other resources, such as workforce capacity, financial resources, and technology adoption, to ensure holistic decision-making. 
• Developing and testing a sustainability monitoring dashboard for a specific health system actor, enabling real-time tracking and reduction of emissions. 

The fellow will collaborate with international partners to adapt and test these solutions across various contexts, ensuring they are both scalable and impactful. This project will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis, qualitative stakeholder engagement, and systems science methodologies. Secondments will take up a substantial portion of the recruitment period, both within the Netherlands and in other countries, providing the candidate with hands-on experience in diverse healthcare settings and policy environments. These secondments will enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and ensure that the developed approaches are applicable across different health system contexts.

The Health Systems and Services Research (HSR) Group at the Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, is an internationally recognized research group dedicated to improving healthcare systems. The group specializes in Health Systems Performance, Quality of Care, Health Policy, Primary Care Development and Evaluation, Public Health, Indicator Development, and Health Information Systems. Actively engaged in international comparative studies, the group collaborates with organizations across different health systems to inform and shape evidence-based health policies. 
As a WHO/EURO Collaborating Centre, the HSR group contributes to health research and innovation. The Principal Investigator (PI) of the group is also the coordinator of HealthIntelAct and previously led the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Training Network for Health System Performance Professionals (HealthPros), the predecessor of HealthIntelAct. All fellows based in the group during HealthPros have successfully completed their PhD theses and remain affiliated with or closely collaborate with the research team, reflecting the group’s strong academic network and commitment to long-term research partnerships. 
The fellow will also be embedded in the Amsterdam UMC Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, which focuses on integrating environmental responsibility into healthcare systems. The Centre fosters research, education, and policy engagement to develop strategies for reducing healthcare’s environmental footprint while maintaining high-quality, patient-centered care. It brings together clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to support sustainable healthcare delivery, procurement, and decision-making. This dual affiliation will provide the fellow with a unique interdisciplinary environment, linking health system performance research with sustainability innovations in healthcare policy and practice. 

For more information, please visit the LinkedIn profile of the Principal Investigator (PI). 

• Candidates should have a Master’s degree in public health, health services research, environmental science, sustainability studies, health policy and management, health sciences, or a related field. 
• Qualitative and/or quantitative research methods. 
• Basic statistical knowledge and data analysis software (e.g., SPSS, R, or similar). 
• Strong analytical skills and problem-solving abilities. 
• Excellent higher education track record and scientific curiosity. 
• Fluent spoken and written English skills. 

 In addition, the following experience would be helpful, but not essential: 

• Knowledge of environmental science and sustainability in healthcare.  
• Experience in international comparative studies.  
• Experience with health information systems or dashboard development. 
• Familiarity with (complex) systems science approaches. 
• Experience in studying European healthcare systems, particularly in the context of health system performance assessment 

We seek a highly motivated aspiring researcher with a strong interest in conducting research, who thrives in an interdisciplinary environment and project, and can work both independently and as part of a team. 

This 4-year PhD position is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions of the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101168576.  You will be appointed as fulltime PhD for 4 years with Amsterdam UMC. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) programme offers an attractive salary and working conditions. The successful candidates will receive a salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for early-stage researchers. Exact salary will be confirmed upon appointment [Living Allowance = €3.400 * (country specific correction factor for NL)1.096 = €3.726,40 + Monthly mobility allowance = €600. An additional monthly allowance of €660 is applicable depending on family situation. In addition to their individual scientific projects, all fellows will benefit from further continuing education, which includes internships and secondments, a variety of training modules as well as transferable skills courses and active participation in workshops and conferences.  

Be aware the contracts include social security coverage providing at least sickness and parental benefits, invalidity and accidents at work and occupational diseases, covering the fellows in every place of implementation of HealthIntelAct activities. As these will be paid by the employer and depend on country-specific regulations, the final net salary that each fellow will receive may differ. 

See recruitment procedure. You can apply using the online application form. For more information about the position you can contact Dr. Dionne Kringos (d.s.kringos@amsterdamumc.nl). 

Amsterdam UMC is one of the largest and leading academic medical centers in the Netherlands, formed through a collaboration between VU University Medical Center and the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam. With over 17,000 employees, it provides top-tier patient care, conducts cutting-edge scientific research, and offers comprehensive education. The center also hosts the Amsterdam UMC Graduate School, where over 200 PhDs are awarded each year, and provides advanced academic training for its PhD students. 
All doctoral degrees for fellows based at the HSR Group at Amsterdam UMC will be awarded by the University of Amsterdam.