General:

• 4-year position at CentER, specific for Department of Management (TiSEM); starting from  February 1, 2019
• in connection with the Academic Collaborative Centre Quality of GP’s and Hospitals within Tranzo (TSB) as contribution to the TiU IMPACT program i.e. enhance cooperation with companies and societal institutions (science-for-society)

Research project

Current standardized cancer care has led to improvement in disease-related outcome. Unfortunately, however, standardized care is often not tailored to individual patient’s needs. Their needs extend beyond the oncological medical aspects, including social, psychological and spiritual concerns, and management of co-existing non-malignant conditions. Also, current care is developed from the professional’s perspective. Patient’s preferences and capabilities for self-care receive insufficient attention. These needs can be addressed concurrently through the lens of modularity in order to enhance variety without major cost increases. In this project, the Jeroen Bosch hospital (JBZ), Verbeeten Instituut and the cancer network EMBRAZE will be the empirical context.

The PhD candidate will conduct his/her research under the supervision of prof. dr. ir. Bert Meijboom (https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/webwijs/show/b.r.meijboom.htm) and prof dr. Esther de Vries (https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/webwijs/show/e.devries.htm).

Project plan

In a mixed method analysis, the applicability of the theoretical model of modularity will be tested in the JBZ as ‘living lab’. Also, a tool based on the theory of ‘positive health’ will be developed to measure patient reported outcomes on their overall quality of health and well-being. Finally, the colon cancer care pathway will be re-designed based on mixing-and-matching of components, and the patient reported outcomes after implementation will be measured for comparison.

1. interest in operations management

   • preferably familiar with the concept of (service) modularity

2. apparent interest in health care for complex diseases

   • preferably familiar with the concept of patient reported outcome measures
3. (research) master in business & management, economics, social sciences, health sciences or comparable; students finalizing their master thesis are also encouraged to react
4. fluent in Dutch (needed in the contact with patients, caretakers and health care professionals in the case studies).
5. sufficiently high score on the GRE or GMAT (https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-programmes/research-master-organization-strategy/application)
6. sufficient knowledge of the English language

   (https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-programmes/research-master-organization-strategy/application)

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Tilburg University is rated among the top Dutch employers and has excellent terms of employment. In line with the IMPACT PhD Program 2018, the position starts in September 2018 and the student must devote her/his time fully to the PhD research. We offer a full-time appointment for 4 years. The gross monthly salary will be in accordance with the salary scales for PhD candidates at Dutch universities, i.e. ranging from €2,266 in the first year to €2,897 in the fourth year. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable. All university employees are covered by the so-called civil servants pension fund (ABP). The university offers very good fringe benefits such as an options model for terms and conditions of employment, excellent reimbursement of moving expenses, excellent technical infrastructure and sports facilities.

Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) is the university largest faculty.  TiSEM offers well reputed academic research and education. Its research belongs to the European top. The education programs, of which the majority are offered completely in English, are on the international map with the AACSB accreditation awarded in 2002. Employees and students form an ambitious international community.

Tilburg School of Economics and Management