VUmc Amsterdam
Netherlands
The EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research is the largest research institute of VUmc Amsterdam (VUMC) with a main focus on public health research. EMGO is accredited by the Dutch Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and in 2010 EMGO’s research was rated as excellent on all counts - the highest possible evaluation score. One of EMGO’s main research focuses is on chronic diseases and ageing. The institute hosts several population-based longitudinal studies, and ample methodological expertise in data analysis is available.
Mission: the institute’s dual aim is to excel on criteria for scientific quality as well as on criteria for societal relevance. A collaboration within EMGO of over 300 researchers from three faculties (the VU University Medical Center, the Faculty of Psychology and Education, and the Department of Health Sciences from the Faulty of Earth and Life Sciences) was arranegd. Working together they aim to further improve public and occupational health, primary care, mental health, rehabilitation and long-term care, by means of multi and interdisciplinary research.
Strategy: EMGO contributes to the evidence base of prevention and care by generating and disseminating evidence. Our aim is to perform trans-disciplinary research of both high scientific quality and high societal relevance. Research projects carried out at EMGO mainly have a health outcome or health determinants as primary endpoints of interest.
Many studies are executed within large population-based cohorts and many projects are carried out in general practices, nursing homes, in specialized mental health care organizations or homes for the elderly. Other studies recruit participants in schools, at work and in outpatient departments, or survey a sample of the general population. A strong team of experts is present within the institute, with expertise in epidemiological and biostatistical methods as well as qualitative research approaches. EMGO is closely linked to masters and PhD programs in epidemiology, public health research and psychology.
Operation: In order to maintain high quality standards of research, a quality promotion and control system involving an internal Science Committee, a quality handbook supported by a Quality Committee, and an external Advisory Board are in place. Studies that are embedded within EMGO are supervised by a full professor, advised by at least one other senior tenured staff member, and guided and supported by a formal research quality control infrastructure. The institute conducts a self-evaluation every three years to reflect on its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, to monitor trends in input and outputs of the institute, in order to inform new policy plans.
Key personnel involved in the project
Professor D J H Deeg, leader Health and well-being
H Galenkamp–van der Ploeg, post-doc Health and well-being Datamanager
Main tasks attributed to them in the project
VUMC will perform the coordination of Health and well-being activities, and in addition participate in all five substantial tasks listed in the work programme. In addition, links with other relevant WP’s including Extending working lives, Biogerontology, Built and technological environment, Social support and long term care, and Active and healthy ageing as an asset.
Professor Deeg will share the coordinating tasks with Ms Galenkamp and the Datamanager, to make sure that all partner activities are on the right track. She will also participate in and supervise the activities of Tasks 1 – 5 for the share of the Netherlands.
Ms Galenkamp will contribute to Tasks 1 – 5, as described in the work programme. She will thus contribute the share for the Netherlands in reviewing the literature, performing secondary analysis of European data, collecting good practice examples in focus groups, compiling national statistics, and reporting.
The Datamanager will be involved in Task 2, ie preparation of datasets of several European studies so that researchers can do the analyses.
Short profile of all personnel and previous relevant experience
Dorly JH Deeg, professor of epidemiology of Ageing at VUMC and Scientific Director of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). A mathematician by education, Professor Deeg has worked mainly in the areas of public health and gerontology. To date, publications include studies of longevity, morbidity, functional limitations, cognitive impairment, depression, personal competence, life style, social support, historic trends, and methodology.
Professor Deeg is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America, and has been a partner in several EU-funded projects: Socio-Economic differences in Healthy Ageing (SEdHA), and Comparison of Longitudinal European Studies on Ageing (CLESA). She is also involved in the European Forum on Population Ageing Research and its successors, ERA-AGE and Futurage. Since 2009, she has been the principal investigator of the European Project on Osteo-Arthritis (EPOSA). Since 2004, Prof. Deeg is founding editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Ageing with Prof. H.-W. Wahl (University of Heidelberg).
Henrike Galenkamp obtained her master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences. Since 2009 she has been working as a PhD student in epidemiology with the Longitudinal aging study Amsterdam, which she will finish in 2012. Her publications focus on self-rated health as a measure of health in older people, including topics such as multimorbidity, disability, response shift and health trends. She is also involved in a project investigating risk factors for hospitalization in the older population.
The data manager will have experience with handling large datasets from multiple countries. Experience with SPSS and some programming is required, as well as a client-centered attitude and the ability to speak fluent english as frequent communication with researchers in partner-countries will be required.