I work as a senior researcher in the field of risk communication and patient decision making. My research focuses on how to create balanced and understandable information for the public and for patients in particular. This information should help them to make informed decisions. It is increasingly expected from people that they take responsibility in making decisions about their health as well as about the types of healthcare they receive, for example in the process of Shared Decision Making. Adequate information is a key priority in such processes, or in other words, information that really helps to gain insight into medical risks and to weigh pros and cons of options.

My background lies in Social Psychology. I obtained my Master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam in 2005, and my PhD degree at Tilburg University in 2010. My PhD study, conducted at NIVEL, concentrated on the question of how comparative performance information about healthcare can be made accessible and understandable for the public.