I-CHER

Welcome to the team Charlotte Sente! 🙌   Charlotte obtained her Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (2023) and after graduating, she joined the Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy research group (KU Leuven) and the Equity and Health Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. Charlotte’s work as a PhD researcher at I-CHER will focus on the valuation of intangible aspects of #cancer therapies for ENT (ear, nose and throat) and rectal cancers 🎗️.   🎯 The ultimate goal of Charlotte's project is to provide evidence on the importance of embedding patients’ valuations on health care strategies in decision-making, ensuring that healthcare innovation and policy are aligned with what truly matters to those receiving care. More information? Contact Charlotte Sente or check our website which will soon be updated with more information about the project: https://lnkd.in/eAB8Gt-g   #welcome #ICHER #REDM #healthcare #phd

Returning to work after cardiovascular diseases is about more than medical recovery ❤️🩹! We’re proud to announce that our I-CHER colleague Ellen Tisseghem’s paper “Common predictors of Return to Work after Cardiovascular Diseases” has just been published as Editor’s Choice in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, hosted by European Society of Cardiology! Congratulations Ellen Tisseghem! 🎉   🔎 In this review of 28 systematic reviews, conducted within the #HeaRTWise project, she identified the key predictors of returning to work after cardiovascular diseases. The findings show that: ✔️ Disease-specific predictors such as disease severity and treatment matter, but… ✔️ Common predictors such as physical capacity, psychological wellbeing, work environment, and social support are equally decisive; ✔️ Modifiable factors, such as workplace adjustments and psychological support, provide crucial opportunities to improve reintegration.   These insights can inform more personalized rehabilitation strategies, support patients in returning to work 💼⛑️, and help reduce the broader economic burden of cardiovascular diseases.   A big thank you to all co-authors, Zoë Vandamme, Elvi Lemmens, Helena Van Deynse, Kurt Barbé, Pieter Cornu, Johan De Sutter, Lode Godderis & Koen Putman, for their valuable contributions! This research was granted by the VUB/UZ Brussel UMCOR Marie-Louise Lottin legacy. 👉 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/ejVjHuh3 #HeaRTWise #VUB #ICHER #REDM #ReturnToWork #CardiovascularDiseases #Rehabilitation #WorkReintegration #SystematicReview #Research

Did you know that 7 out of 10 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in Belgium survive at least 10 years 💗? However, long-term survivorship is not equal for all patients.   📊 In her latest research, our colleague Eva Kimpe analysed linked cancer registry data, health insurance claims and social security data of all Belgian women diagnosed in 2010. For this survival analysis we closely collaborated with members of the SQUARE - Core Facility VUB – Core Facility VUB and employed a mixture cure model to explore long-term survivorship.   The analyses demonstrate that the following factors are associated with long-term survival: 🔹age at diagnosis 🔹treatment modalities  🔹eligibility for increased reimbursement   🎓 For academics: understanding the insights of mixture cure models is essential, as their interpretation differs from traditional Cox proportional hazard models. 🏛 For policy-makers: the findings highlight the importance of tailoring breast cancer screening programmes in order to reduce social inequalities and mortality disparities.   Get to know more about this survival analysis in the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE), hosted by the International Epidemiological Association: 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2Nhfsq8   A big thank you to all co-authors for their valuable contributions and to our data providers for their crucial support!   Sven Van Laere Sara-Lise Busschaert Max Lelie Ellen Tisseghem Xavier Rygaert Kurt Barbé Pieter Cornu Mark De Ridder Koen Putman Stichting Kankerregister InterMutualistisch Agentschap (IMA) - Agence InterMutualiste (AIM) Kruispuntbank van de Sociale Zekerheid   #ICHER #VUB #REDM #BreastCancer #SurvivalAnalysis #CureModel #BioStatistics #PublicHealth #PopulationBased #BigData

👉 Zin in een nieuwe uitdaging na je afstuderen of eerdere werkervaring? Wij zoeken een nieuwe collega! 🔍 Wil jij meewerken aan een maatschappelijk relevant en uitdagend onderzoeksproject? De I-CHER onderzoeksgroep aan de VUB heeft een open doctoraatspositie in het domein van de gezondheidseconomie. Je werkt mee aan een studie rond de waardering van immateriële aspecten van kankertherapieën bij KNO- en rectumkanker. Wat ga je doen? - Een uitgebreide literatuurstudie uitvoeren 📖 - Diepte-interviews afnemen met patiënten 🗣️ - Kwantitatieve methodes toepassen rond waardering van immateriële aspecten van de therapie  🧑💻 - Wetenschappelijke publicaties schrijven ✍ - Je bevindingen presenteren op nationale en internationale congressen 📈 - Onderzoeksresultaten delen met patiënten, zorgprofessionals en andere onderzoekers 🥼 Wat bieden wij? - Een fulltime doctoraatsbeurs voor 1 jaar (met mogelijkheid tot verlenging tot maximaal 4 jaar) - Een stimulerende, internationale werkomgeving op onze Brussels Health Campus in Jette Benieuwd? Solliciteer via de link of scan de QR-code op de flyer: https://lnkd.in/eeu-BgHG Hopelijk tot snel! 👋 #Vacature #VUB #Gezondheidseconomie #Onderzoek #PhD

👉 Zin in een nieuwe uitdaging na je afstuderen of eerdere werkervaring? Wij zoeken een nieuwe collega! 🔍 Wil jij meewerken aan een maatschappelijk relevant en uitdagend onderzoeksproject? De I-CHER onderzoeksgroep aan de VUB heeft een open doctoraatspositie in het domein van de gezondheidseconomie. Je werkt mee aan een studie rond de waardering van immateriële aspecten van kankertherapieën bij KNO- en rectumkanker. Wat ga je doen? - Een uitgebreide literatuurstudie uitvoeren 📖 - Diepte-interviews afnemen met patiënten 🗣️ - Kwantitatieve methodes toepassen rond waardering van immateriële aspecten van de therapie  🧑💻 - Wetenschappelijke publicaties schrijven ✍ - Je bevindingen presenteren op nationale en internationale congressen 📈 - Onderzoeksresultaten delen met patiënten, zorgprofessionals en andere onderzoekers 🥼 Wat bieden wij? - Een fulltime doctoraatsbeurs voor 1 jaar (met mogelijkheid tot verlenging tot maximaal 4 jaar) - Een stimulerende, internationale werkomgeving op onze Brussels Health Campus in Jette Benieuwd? Solliciteer via de link of scan de QR-code op de flyer: https://lnkd.in/eeu-BgHG Hopelijk tot snel! 👋 #Vacature #VUB #Gezondheidseconomie #Onderzoek #PhD

📢 Publication Alert! We’re excited to share that our colleague Bo Vandenbulcke has published a systematic review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, examining the cost-effectiveness of air pollution mitigation strategies. Air pollution 🏭 🌍 remains the leading environmental health risk globally 😷, yet economic evaluations of mitigation efforts are often fragmented or inconsistently reported. In this review, we not only assessed the economic value of various interventions but also evaluated the quality of their reporting. 🔎 The findings reveal a strong dominance of cost-benefit analyses, with relatively few studies using cost-utility frameworks. Reporting quality varied significantly, making cross-study comparisons and firm conclusions challenging. This underscores the urgent need for more standardized, transparent economic evaluations in environmental health—and highlights the critical importance of investing in clean air strategies for both public health and economic sustainability. A big thank you to the co-authors Nick Verhaeghe, Lisa Cruycke, Max Lelie, Steven Simoens, and Koen Putman for their valuable contributions. 💡 Interested in reading this paper? The full text is available at: https://lnkd.in/g4Xut6wx #ICHER #HELPPFL #AirPollution #HealthEconomics #EnvironmentalHealth #PublicHealth #CostEffectiveness #SystematicReview #IJERPH #Research

💬 Interview met Delfien Gryspeerdt over het gezondheidseconomische werkpakket binnen H2020 project DigiCare4You! Lees: https://lnkd.in/dcBRacrX

📢 Just published! Our colleague Frenn Bultinck published a systematic review on spillover effects of pain medication tapering (PMT) in patients with chronic pain in Health Policy and Technology! 💊 Our research reveals an important finding: when patients with chronic pain taper their pain medication, the effects ripple far beyond the individual. We identified spillover effects, being effects that reach beyond the treated individual, on the healthcare system and -providers, scientific research and society as a whole. By conducting this systematic review, an important research gap was uncovered: we need to expand our lens beyond the treated patient when assessing the value of healthcare interventions. Only by understanding the wider effects of our healthcare interventions, we can truly measure their true value and impact. Many thanks to the co-authors Nick Verhaeghe, Max Lelie, Bo Vandenbulcke, Elke Wuyts, Cleo Crunelle, Lisa Goudman, Maarten Moens, and Koen Putman! Interested? The full text is available via the link below 👇 🔗https://lnkd.in/dCKegmu7 #ICHER #REDM #STIMULUS #PainMedication #HealthEconomics #ChronicPain #SpilloverEffects

🎤 Last week, Viktor-Jan De Deken was invited to present an overview of his research at the “Statistics, Data Science, AI… Shaping the Future Together” symposium in Brussels, an inspiring event organized by the Royal Statistical Society of Belgium and FOD Financiën - SPF Finances. 💡He shared how we use machine learning and health insurance data to map care pathways for children with traumatic brain injury (TBI), combining Markov Chain Models, clustering techniques, and simulation to gain insights that can inform better care and policy. 🗨️ It was a pleasure to contribute to a program filled with diverse, real-world applications of statistics and AI  and to connect with so many researchers, professionals, and data enthusiasts across sectors. Grateful to the organizers for the invitation, and to everyone who came by for the talk or the chat afterward! #ICHER #statistics #healthdata #artificialIntelligence #carepathways #markovmodelling #TBI #symposium 

🎉 Exciting news! This month, the paper of our I-CHER colleague Max Lelie "A Cost-Effectiveness Estimation of the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Programme (ASSIP)" was published in Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research. Our findings show that ASSIP (Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Programme) is both cost-saving and effective in reducing suicide attempts — offering strong evidence to support its broader implementation in Flanders. You can read the paper here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eWX9BX9f #ICHER #mentalhealth #suicideprevention #costeffectiveness #research