As of January 2025, APH researcher Christine Dedding is the new program leader of Societal Participation & Health (SPH), where she will take over the role from Cécile Boot, who has been appointed director of APH as of February 2025.
Christine is an accomplished Medical Anthropologist with a PhD from the University of Amsterdam (UVA), where her dissertation focused on child participation in research and care. Since 2018, she is working at the Department of Ethics, Law, and Medical Humanities at Amsterdam UMC, specializing in participation and diversity in research, (health)care, and policy. Her work particularly emphasizes the inclusion of people living in vulnerable circumstances and seldom-heard voices in these areas.
Christine is dedicated to bridging gaps between science and society. Her approach centers on creating innovative dialogues and developing impactful knowledge products that foster a more just society. She is a co-founder of the School for Participation and leads the Learning Network of Youth Participation in Research.
Her current research focuses on addressing health inequalities and co-creating inclusive, participatory practices in both healthcare and research. While digitalization holds great promise for improving healthcare, Christine and her team critically examine how the rapid digital transformation of society and healthcare may unintentionally exacerbate existing health disparities. Through a participatory systems approach, they strive to ensure that (digital) health solutions, are accessible to all communities, especially the most marginalized.
In addition to her research, Christine is involved in education. She is responsible for teaching courses on qualitative research, action research, participatory health research, youth care, and medical sociology at VUMC Medical Schooland the Health Sciences program. She also provides training in participatory action research, empowering future professionals to create more equitable health systems.