Below you will find the short descriptions of all available projects, click on the arrow to open. Within the short descriptions you will find a link to the full descriptions.
Sunday March 23rd 2025 23:59 CET: Deadline for online application
Fellow 1 (project 1.1)– Enhancing people-centered national health system assessments: Implementing a performance portal in Luxembourg
Host: Dr. Françoise Berthet MD, Observatoire national de la santé, Luxembourg
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate how to develop and implement an internationally comparable assessment of the people-centeredness of a health system and measure the impact of a patient-centeredness online dashboard on decision-making. The project includes secondments to organizations in the Netherlands, Ireland and France.
Fellow 2 (project 1.2)– Data driven people-centred care: machine learning and trustworthiness
Host: Prof Dr. Oliver Groene, OptiMedis, Hamburg, Germany
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will study how AI systems can improve transparency and fairness to address biases and discrimination in healthcare. The project will explore how AI can support safe, inclusive, and accessible health services for diverse populations. Working collaboratively with healthcare professionals, the fellow will develop tools to evaluate and enhance the trustworthiness and explainability of AI systems. The project includes secondments to organizations in the United Kingdom and Germany and to the OECD to learn from their strategies for ethical AI implementation and apply these insights in practice, promoting equitable and reliable AI-driven healthcare solutions.
Fellow 3 (project 1.3)– From measurement to management and use of intelligence on deprivation related disparities in healthcare
Host: Prof Jan Mainz, Psychiatry Region North Denmark & Danish Center for Health Services Research, Aalborg University, Denmark
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will study how socioeconomic disparities in healthcare can be assessed using both area- and individual-based approaches. The project will explore the potential for further expanding the use of a generic European approach for monitoring socioeconomic disparities in healthcare. The overall objective being to contribute to more equal access to health care services of high quality across irrespective of socioeconomic profile. The role includes secondments to organizations in Denmark, Italy and Germany to learn from their approaches and apply the methods in practice.
Fellow 5 (project 1.4)– Improving equality in access for geographically isolated and remote communities through proximity healthcare services
Host: Prof. Sabina Nuti, Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Health Science, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will contribute to improving equitable healthcare access by studying the impact of proximity care models in geographically isolated and remote communities. The research will explore how technology and social innovation, such as telemedicine and community-based approaches, can reduce inequalities in care access. Special attention will be given to inclusive development, ensuring that solutions are co-created with local communities and adapted to their needs. The project includes secondments to organizations in Denmark, Italy, and Germany, as well as a work visit to Denmark to gain hands-on experience in community-based health innovation, digital health solutions, and layperson-supported telemedicine models. This position offers a unique opportunity to bridge technology, policy, and community engagement, contributing to scalable and sustainable models for delivering high-quality healthcare to underserved populations.
Fellow 6 (project 1.5)– Cultural safety performance intelligence for addressing racism and discrimination in service provision
Host: Assoc. Prof. Dionne Kringos (PI), Dr. Óscar Brito Fernandes, and Prof. emerit. Niek Klazinga, Amsterdam UMC – University of Amsterdam
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will study how health systems can improve their ability to collect and use data to address racism and discrimination in healthcare. This research will examine the inclusivity, accessibility, and safety of health services for affected groups. By co-developing tools with patients and healthcare professionals, the fellow will identify actionable ways to measure and improve experiences of care. The role includes secondments to organizations in the Netherlands, Romania, and Canada, where the fellow will gain hands-on experience in health data governance, cultural safety frameworks, and performance measurement strategies.
Fellow 7 (project 1.6)– Enhancing people-centered cancer screening in Romania: Developing recommendations for scaling up cancer screening
Host: Prof. Dr. Florentina Ligia Furtunescu, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate strategies to enhance people-centered cancer screening in Romania by evaluating EU/OECD cancer screening information systems, identifying gaps in Romania’s system compared to EU standards, and analyzing factors contributing to non-participation in colon cancer screening. The research will also incorporate a comparative case study across Romania, Italy, and Slovenia, drawing on experiences from countries that have implemented strategies to improve cancer screening participation, particularly in underserved areas. Based on these research perspectives, the fellow will develop recommendations for national cancer screening services, with a focus on access, quality, and service continuity for colon cancer and an exploratory pilot on lung cancer screening. The role includes secondments and work visits to organizations in the Netherlands, France, Slovenia, and Italy, offering hands-on experience in screening program evaluation, health system performance measurement, and patient engagement strategies.
Fellow 16 (project 1.7)– Boosting Flu vaccination uptake: People-centered strategies for public trust in health policies
Host: Prof. Dr. Simon de Lusignan, University of Oxford, UK
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate people-centered strategies to boost influenza vaccination uptake, using it as an exemplar for enhancing public trust in health policies. The research will assess existing interventions—including policy measures, behavioral nudges, and technology-driven strategies—to identify effective approaches for increasing vaccine coverage, particularly among underserved and high-risk populations. By leveraging advanced data analytics and surveillance systems, the fellow will develop actionable insights to inform evidence-based policymaking and improve population-wide vaccination strategies. The project includes secondments to leading organizations in Denmark, Germany, and the UK, allowing the fellow to engage with international experts, apply cross-country learnings, and test scalable solutions for improving vaccine uptake across different healthcare systems.
Fellow 8 (project 2.8)- Enhancing sustainable healthcare governance: Integrating measures into performance assessment and management
Host: Assoc. Prof. Dionne Kringos (PI), Dr. Óscar Brito Fernandes, and Prof. emerit. Niek Klazinga, Amsterdam UMC – University of Amsterdam
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate strategies to embed performance intelligence on the environmental impact of healthcare systems and services into the governance and decision-making processes of various healthcare actors, such as health purchasers, regulatory agencies, governments and health technology assessment (HTA) bodies. This includes developing actionable environmental sustainability indicators, designing tools for implementation, and exploring co-benefits and trade-offs with critical building blocks of healthcare systems, such as human resources for health and health financing. The project involves secondments to key international partners and close collaboration with interdisciplinary teams.
Fellow 9 (project 2.9)- Engaging individuals and communities for strengthening health and health care related climate resilience
Host: Prof. Sabina Nuti, Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Health Science, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate how to engage individuals and communities in adopting health-promoting and sustainable behaviours, for benefit individuals, health care systems, society and planet. The project involves secondments to key national and international partners and close collaboration with interdisciplinary teams.
Fellow 10 (project 2.10)- Measuring and mitigating the eCO2 impact of novel health care models
Host: Prof Dr. Oliver Groene, OptiMedis, Hamburg, Germany
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will study how the climate impact of healthcare services can be measured and mitigated. Care pathways contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions through energy use, resource consumption, and waste generation. By assessing emissions associated with these pathways, healthcare systems can identify hotspots and prioritize low-carbon alternatives, such as telemedicine, sustainable procurement, and energy-efficient infrastructure. Mitigation efforts also require engaging clinicians and patients in adopting environmentally responsible practices. Addressing the climate impact not only supports global sustainability goals but also improves health outcomes by reducing pollution and fostering resilience against climate-related health risks, ensuring a healthier future for all. The project includes secondments to leading organizations to foster the adoption of international best practices.
Fellow 11 (project 2.11)- Embedding the environmental footprint of hospitals in strategic decision-making processes in Luxembourg.
Host: Dr. Françoise Berthet MD, Observatoire national de la santé, Luxembourg
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will develop and investigate how to embed actionable performance intelligence on hospital environmental impact into the national decision-making process to enhance accountability and support the attainment of sustainable development goals in Luxembourg. The research will assess awareness, attitudes, and perceptions of climate change among key healthcare stakeholders, exploring their roles and perceived responsibilities in reducing the health system’s environmental footprint. Building on the assessment, the fellow will select and calculate quantitative actionable performance indicators tailored to hospital facilities in Luxembourg. The research will explore how to effectively integrate these indicators into governance structures at both the hospital level (meso) and the national level (macro), ensuring they support evidence-based policy decisions and drive sustainable improvements within the healthcare system. The project includes international secondments to leading organizations to foster the adoption of international best practices.
Fellow 4 (project 3.12)- Optimizing integrated care performance measurement
Host: Dr. Tit Albreht and Mircha Poldrugovac , National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia, Ljubljana
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will contribute to advancing integrated care performance measurement by developing and refining indicators that capture the full spectrum of a patient’s care pathway. Ensuring seamless and well-coordinated care is a key priority for health systems worldwide, yet measuring how effectively care is integrated remains a challenge. Using advanced data-linking methods, the fellow will combine outpatient, inpatient, and waiting list data to generate actionable insights that drive health system improvement. The findings will directly inform healthcare policies in Slovenia while contributing to international efforts to enhance patient-centered and efficient healthcare delivery. The role includes secondments to leading organizations in the Netherlands, Italy, and France, where the fellow will gain expertise in translating research into practice, strengthening the fellow’s skills in health policy analysis and evidence-based decision-making.
Fellow 12 (project 3.13)- Improving the wellbeing, safety and mental health of nurses and their impact on quality of care
Host: Assoc. Prof. Dionne Kringos (PI), Dr. Óscar Brito Fernandes, and Prof. emerit. Niek Klazinga, Amsterdam UMC – University of Amsterdam
Short description: The PhD candidate will focus on developing and implementing a standardized measures to assess the well-being, safety, and mental health of nursing staff. The project will inform effective quality improvement activities aimed at promoting overall nursing well-being and improving patient safety outcomes. This interdisciplinary role involves working with diverse stakeholders, integrating data analytics with actionable strategies, and applying systems science to enhance health workforce sustainability. The project involves secondments to key international partners in Canada, Denmark and France.
Fellow 13 (project 3.14)- Supporting human resources for value-based healthcare delivery leveraging technologies and performance measurements
Host: Dr. Tit Albreht and Mircha Poldrugovac , National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia, Ljubljana
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate the implementation of eHealth solutions from the perspective of human resources for health, assessing how these technologies impact workforce sustainability and the value they create for patients. Through multiple case studies in Slovenia and other countries, the research will evaluate the conditions necessary for the successful implementation of eHealth solutions that enhance workforce efficiency and healthcare quality. The project includes secondments to leading institutions in the Netherlands, Italy, and Canada to gain cross-country insights and facilitate the adoption of best practices.
Fellow 14 (project 3.15)- Reducing regional health system inefficiencies optimizing its financial sustainability
Host: Prof Dr. Oliver Groene, OptiMedis, Hamburg, Germany
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will study how to reduce regional health system inefficiencies and optimize financial sustainability. The project will focus on identifying key areas of resource misallocation and developing strategies to enhance efficiency without compromising quality of care. Collaborating with healthcare professionals and policymakers, the fellow will design tools to evaluate and implement evidence-based interventions for cost-effective service delivery. The project includes secondments to organizations (e.g. United Kingdom and Germany) to learn from their approaches to improving health system performance and financial sustainability, applying these insights to promote more equitable and efficient healthcare solutions.
Fellow 15 (project 3.16)- Monitoring low value care using routine clinical and administrative data
Host: Prof Jan Mainz, Psychiatry Region North Denmark & Danish Center for Health Services Research, Aalborg University, Denmark
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate how low-value care can be assessed and monitored over time using clinical and administrative registries. The research will focus on developing robust registry-based indicators that enable systematic measurement and cross-country comparisons of low-value care, contributing to evidence-based strategies for its reduction. The research will provide actionable insights to help healthcare systems reduce ineffective or unnecessary treatments and improve the efficiency of care delivery. The project includes secondments to organizations in Denmark, Germany, and the UK, where the fellow will gain expertise in existing methodologies and apply these approaches in real-world healthcare settings.
Fellow 17 (project 3.17)- Mitigating turnover: Enhancing general practitioner workforce wellbeing with actionable performance intelligence
Host: Prof. Dr. Simon de Lusignan, University of Oxford, UK
Short description: The PhD candidate (fellow) will investigate innovative strategies to enhance general practitioner (GP) workforce wellbeing through the optimization of actionable performance intelligence. The project aims to develop data-driven solutions to improve retention and job satisfaction among GPs, ultimately contributing to the sustainability of primary care systems. The project includes secondments to leading UK and international organizations, providing opportunities to learn from best practices and apply cross-contextual insights.
