The Centre for Public Health, Healthcare and Society (VZM) conducts research in the broad field of public health and health services. This includes the current state of affairs and the future of public health, the impact of preventive measures, innovations in health care and changes in the health care system.
The Centre has specific expertise in the field of monitoring and evaluation, development of indicators, modelling, foresight studies, societal cost-benefit analyses, knowledge integration and data visualisation. It brings together scientific knowledge from within RIVM and beyond and clarifies this knowledge. The Centre also uses this knowledge to identify societally relevant issues, place them on the agenda and advise on them, with the goal of supporting regional, national and international policymaking.
The Centre’s strength lies in keeping up with developments in public health and the progress and effects of policy surrounding public health.
Focus areas
Health Economics & Health Services Research
This department supports national and regional policymaking through modelling and qualitative and quantitative research. It uses models in the fields of health economics, acute care and costs of illness.
Public Health Foresight
Foresight studies contribute to policy development in the field of public health and health services. Foresight study methodologies are applied, developed further and taught to others.
Health Information
This department collects, integrates, interprets and explains data and information about public health and health services, with the goal of supporting regional, national and international policymaking. In this context, there is a special focus on presenting information in an accessible way and promoting the secondary use of data.
Population Health and Health Services Research
This department supports national issues and policy in the fields of public health and health services with monitoring, evaluation of lessons learned and research at the local, regional and national level. The focus is on keeping up to date with changes in processes, progress and effects of policies or programmes.
Regional Health and Healthcare
This department collates regional information in integrated regional overviews that offer insight into recent and future developments in public health and the demand for, availability of and use of health care at the regional level. Points of attention include developments in elderly care and prevention, cooperation within regions and the effectiveness of different health care and prevention measures.
Visit the following websites for more information about Public Health and Health Services:
Who is it for?
We provide access to research results and publish them through a variety of channels (including online). VZM mainly advises policymakers at government ministries and municipalities.
Who do we work with?
VZM works with universities, planning agencies and other knowledge partners in the Netherlands and abroad. The societal relevance of our work is manifest in our participation in a large network of umbrella organisations, professional associations, government bodies, consumers’ and patients’ groups and other community organisations.
Who are we?
The head of the centre is Arjan Bos.
The Centre consists of five departments, each with its own department head:
- Population Health and Health Services Research – Ilse Storm
- Regional Health and Healthcare – Arnold Peters
- Health Economics and Health Services Research – Dirk-Jan de Leede
- Public Health Foresight – Birgitte Blatter
- Health Information – Katia Witte