Health Sciences

In the Health Policy specialisation, you will learn approaches to optimise a health system. You will understand the economics of healthcare provision and how to select treatments to cover with insurance. Moreover, the specialisation allows you to explore the science of policymaking and healthcare organisation. You will gain insight into the perspectives of providers, purchasers, patients and authorities.

You will understand and appreciate core healthcare issues, including – but not limited to – rising healthcare costs, healthcare system (in)efficiency, market incentives, rationing, coverage of cost-effective interventions, vulnerable group accessibility, healthcare quality, labour limitations and patients’ rights.

You will become aware of the structures that govern the Dutch healthcare system, including the stakeholders and interest group landscape and the governance structure,  quality and competition authorities and internal (in-organisation) governance.

You will be able to apply economic theories to analyse healthcare issues at system, organisational and intervention levels, and from both societal and stakeholder perspectives.

You will gain the skills to identify, select, evaluate and summarise relevant scientific evidence and translate it into evidence-based healthcare policy.

You will also learn how to select research designs to study health policy subjects.

The Infectious Diseases & Public Health specialisation will give you a broad overview of the biology of pathogenic organisms and the interaction between pathogens and their hosts. You will focus on the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases in the Netherlands and abroad.

You will gain knowledge of the immunological aspects, development and expression of infectious disease and of the epidemiology, control and elimination of various infectious pathogens, as well as of the appropriate vaccinations.

In addition, you’ll become familiar with the life cycle, virulence and transmission of infectious pathogens, and of the outcome of diseases, in addition to being able to describe the various diagnostic laboratory tests for parasitic infections. You will be able to describe the relationship between nutrition and the appearance/development of infectious diseases, know the causes and effects of malnutrition and over-nutrition in relation to infectious diseases, with a special focus on vulnerable groups and/or populations.

The Nutrition & Health specialisation focuses on the role of nutrition in health and (prevention of) disease. You may, for example, concentrate on promoting good health through primary and secondary prevention of nutrition-related diseases in a population, on nutritional problems in the clinical setting, on nutrition and infectious diseases, and/or on nutritional problems in international context.

At the end of your study, you’ll understand the role of nutrition in the maintenance and promotion of health. 

You will clearly recognise the role of nutrition in the development of chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

You will know the role of nutrition in the promotion of health and the development of chronic diseases within the scope of other lifestyle factors. You will also be able to identify qualitative or quantitative research designs for nutrition-related research questions.

Lastly, you’ll understand the impact of preventive or therapeutic nutritional interventions, both in terms of their potential and actual health benefits.

The Prevention & Public Health  specialisation is intended for students who want to specialise in health promotion and disease prevention. You will gain a broad overview of the theory, research and practice in the field of prevention and public health. The focus is on health behaviour, disease prevention, communication, and lifestyle and environmental interventions.

When you complete your study, you will  be familiar with all aspects of health promotion and disease prevention: concepts, definitions and history.

You will be able to identify the individual, environmental and lifestyle factors that affect the health of individuals/populations in the short and long term (primary and secondary prevention).

You will understand the psychosocial aspects that are important in the treatment and management of (chronic) diseases, such as therapy compliance and patient communication (tertiary prevention). 

You will become familiar with the relevant behavioural change theories/models related to the development of healthy behaviour, perceptions of illness and self-regulation.

You will know how health and prevention knowledge can contribute to the development of local and national policy.