PhD position Patients’ rights in the context of digitalization of healthcare

Introduction

Have you (almost) completed a master’s degree in health law, law and digital technology, health policy, or another relevant field? Are you interested in research and education? At the Department of Health Law & Ethics (HLE) of the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), we are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic PhD student who wants to conduct qualitative empirical and normative research on the topic of patients’ rights in the context of digitalization of healthcare (full-time).

Aim of the research:

Digital technologies and specifically, the use of machine-learning and data-intensive tools, are changing the way healthcare is delivered. This transformation is reflected by recent developments in international and European health policy and law. Patients and their rights are at the core of this transformation. However, safeguarding core patient rights such as privacy, confidentiality, non-discrimination and the essential elements of the right to health, raises challenges that are not yet fully understood nor sufficiently addressed in the digital context. Specifically, systemic reviews of existing research concluded that more in-depth studies are needed on how the patient privacy perspective is changing (Shen et al, 2023).  Taking the patients’ perspective and a rights-based approach, the research focuses on the role of international and European law in setting and enforcing the standards for patient rights in the context of digital transformation of healthcare. To promote academic as well as social impact, the project includes the overall objective of contributing to the debate on patients’ rights, access to healthcare in the context of digital transformation, and related developments in international and European health law and policy. As a specific objective, the project also aims at fostering dialogue with healthcare and legal professionals as well as policymakers.

Job description

What will you do?

You will join an internationally oriented research project and a team of health law experts at Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management (ESHPM). As a PhD candidate, you will be expected to develop your own research focus within the topic outlined above. You will work on the research independently but in close cooperation with your supervisors, with sufficient scope for your own interpretation of the research theme. The PhD project is expected to include empirical research (data collection and analysis) and a legal/normative component. Specifically, you will combine legal analysis with insight in healthcare and health policy and draw conclusions that are scientifically solid, innovative, and have a societal impact/ are relevant for policymaking as well. You will be expected to present your findings in scholarly articles published in scientific peer-reviewed international journals. Furthermore, you will be responsible for collecting the articles as thesis chapters and publishing them as a dissertation also including an introductory and concluding chapter.

Given that at ESHPM, research and education are closely intertwined, the supervisory team will encourage and assist you as PhD candidate to gain teaching experience by contributing to the educational programs in which the Health Law and Ethics (HLE) team members are engaged. Furthermore, the supervisory team will involve you in ESHPM activities and assist your professional development by facilitating your enrolment in tailored training opportunities provided at ESHPM to staff members. Further to an initial needs assessment, relevant training options will be identified. As a PhD candidate, you will be encouraged to take ownership of your own professionalization by reflecting on related needs and drawing up a personal professionalization plan.

Job requirements

Your profile:

• You have a master’s degree preferably in health law, law and digital technology, health policy, or another relevant field, with excellent results;
• You possess qualitative research skills, are familiar with legal research methods and are motivated to further develop your skills in these fields;
• You have an affinity for a multidisciplinary approach to research and teaching;
• You have excellent academic skills (analytical thinking, scientific writing and presentation), evidenced for example by a good review of your master's thesis and scientific publications;
• You have excellent command of written and spoken English. Dutch communication and writing skills constitute an advantage;
• You can work well in a team and are also able to carry out your work independently and proactively.

Supervision:

Supervision of the research and mentoring of the PhD candidate are ensured by Prof Dr Martin Buijsen and Dr Maria Eva Földes.

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The preferred start date of this position is 01-APR-2025 and you will be based at Campus Woudestein in Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.901 to a maximum of € 3.707 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The initial contract is entered into for the duration of 1,5 year (18 months), with the possibility of extension.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

-        Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!

-        Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.

-        Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

-        Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

-        Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

-        Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management (ESHPM)

ESHPM at Erasmus University is leading within the Netherlands with its teaching, and research activities focused on policy and management topics in healthcare. ESHPM provides a bachelor's program, five master's programs, a transition program for lateral entrants, and postgraduate education. Since its founding in 1982, ESHPM has closely linked research and education. Knowledge and experience from different scientific disciplines, such as economics, law, socio-medical sciences, organizational science, and public administration, are brought together and applied in healthcare. This multidisciplinary approach to education and research is unique. ESHPM is housed in the Bayle (J) Building on EUR’s Woudestein campus. Currently, ESHPM has over 1,600 students and 200 employees.

Group

Health Law and Ethics (HLE) department

You will be assigned to the HLE department within ESHPM, a relatively small section with a staff of 13. The teaching and research of HLE focus on legal issues relating to (health) care. These issues in healthcare delivery, insurance, and financing are addressed from national and international perspectives. The focus is always on human rights and the position of the vulnerable. Within the department, activities focus on patient rights, forced care, medical liability, end-of-life decisions, access to care, and the equitable distribution of (health) care, among others. A complete overview of topics can be found on our website.

Additional information

Additional information:

For further information about EUR please refer to our website www.eur.nl.

For further information about the position please contact Maria Eva Földes, PhD: foldes@eshpm.eur.nl

Applying

The application process consists of 2 rounds of interviews. The first round of interviews will take place in weeks 7/8 of 2025.

You can apply for this position until the closing date of 31 January 2025. To apply, please include the following documents written in English:

• A motivation letter
• A curriculum vitae (CV)
• Two reference letters
• Description of a research project idea that falls within the topic outlined in this call for applications (maximum 1000 words).

We look forward to receiving your application.

You can find more information about the EUR on our website www.eur.nl.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.