One of the central tasks of the professor is to develop, set up, continue, and expand the social scientific input in an interdisciplinary internationally distinctive research line within the societal outreach program of Population Health at LUMC Campus The Hague. You will add to the scientific content of the Population Health Management program located in The Hague. The societal outreach will be guaranteed by retrieving research questions in the field in reciprocity. This all includes coordinating interdisciplinary research activities, attracting research funding, supervising PhD students, developing partnerships and networks at the local, national, and international level, and reporting in peer-reviewed journals and at international conferences. Furthermore, you will have a teaching role with a focus on behavioral interventions and social nudging in population health. You will design and provide part of the courses in the designated field in the broadest possible sense. Your teaching tasks may include giving courses and supervising master theses in the regular bachelor's and master's degree programs and providing teaching for other disciplines, such as in the master programs of the LUMC Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, Vitality and Aging, the master Health and Medical Psychology of Leiden University and especially in the graduate (master) and postgraduate programs on Population Health Management based at the LUMC Campus The Hague. Administrative duties include actively participating in administrative bodies in several departments and locations. Also, you will increase the visibility of the LUMC Campus the Hague and Health, Medical and Neuropsychology unit of the University of Leiden Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as the interdisciplinary visibility of Leiden University through active participation in influential and prestigious academic organizations. You will have a societal role in the form of contributions to work conferences and symposia aiming to generate research questions in the Population Health Living Lab The Hague, and in book publications, congresses, and symposia in the relevant field. Wherever possible, you will contribute to information provision for the purposes of public debate and policymaking.

In short

·        You are an experienced researcher with demonstrable teaching and management abilities

·        You will focus on conducting research and initiating new projects for which you know how to get funding

·        Your main focus is to conduct research on how people can effectively gain health and remain as healthy as possible

·        To this end you will work in a multidisciplinary setting with various departments in- and outside the LUMC and the Leiden University Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW)

·        You will also have a leading societal role in LUMC and FSW’s external visibility by attending and contributing to work conferences and symposia   

Project description

Throughout the life cycle, behavior change continues to play an important role in all phases of health promotion, disease prevention and treatment of illnesses. Behavior change and tools to encourage that therefore play a pivotal role in population health in general and among specific groups at risk in particular. The relatively new concept of syndemics, originally studied in the context of infectious diseases in multiple deprived populations, can be an important route towards finding new additional interactions between social, contextual and medical determinants that can reveal entries for innovative interdisciplinary interventions. Behavior change also provides an important starting point when based on quantitative risk stratification, and for interventions that promote health at an individual and societal level. These interventions may focus on the prevention of chronic disorders, but interventions are also of specific importance for optimizing quality of life across the lifespan. The current project not only provides more insight into the factors responsible for behavior change in population health, but also in methods to nudge populations and individuals towards healthy behavior and to improve  implementation processes of effective interventions, especially in high-risk groups.

You hold a PhD in the field of behavior change, psychology or health sciences (health promotion) and are an expert in the area of personalized behavioral interventions for population health (e.g. social nudging, goal setting theories, teachable moments for change) and behavior change methods, such as Intervention Mapping and related intervention designs. You are an inspiring role model in the area of implementing behavioral change in various populations with defined interdisciplinary risks in psychosocial, societal, context, somatic and mental conditions and are able to cooperate with experts in the adjacent fields (medical, data science, governance). Furthermore, you have an excellent publication record in research on behavior change in somatic conditions or risk groups, as ascertained by peer reviewed international and national publications that meet with current scientific standards. Also, you possess an excellent track record in acquisition of research grants in the area of behavioral change, such as intervention mapping and/or social nudging in populations at defined health risks. In addition, you have well established collaborative relations with relevant external parties and can contribute to regional networks of research and innovation to (cost-)effectively realize improved population health. Moreover, you have an excellent teaching reputation (evidenced by teaching evaluations) and experience with teaching at undergraduate, graduate and PhD levels. You have academic management experience at a university level or interest in academic management activities. Lastly, you are proficient in spoken and written English with the intention to learn Dutch

Your salary will be based on your education and experience and is based on scale 16 of the collective labor agreement of the university medical centers.

LUMC

At the Leiden University Medical Center, we continuously work on improving patient care. We invest in groundbreaking, international research and work with the latest equipment. Together with our team of doctors, medical specialists, teachers, academic researchers and supporting staff, we aim for the best quality in health care, education and international research. And we need you to realize our goals!

Your tasks in the areas of research, teaching, and administration are embedded in the Population Health Living lab located at LUMC, campus The Hague and partly at the Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit of the Psychology Institute at Leiden University, FSW. The activities are also linked to input from the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) and the Leiden Institute of Academic Computer Sciences (LIACS). You will work closely together with physicians (LUMC), computer scientists (LIACS), and governance experts (FGGA).