Sarah van Duijn

Dr. Sarah van Duijn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She serves as Program Director of the Graduate School of Social Sciences. Her research focuses on collaborative governance in healthcare, exploring how institutional and social dynamics influence healthcare delivery amid challenges like aging populations and workforce shortages. She employs ethnography and critical discourse analysis to study boundary work and tensions in healthcare collaboration.

Education:

• PhD in Organization Sciences & Public Administration (VU Amsterdam, 2022)
• Master's in Organization Sciences (VU Amsterdam, 2015)

Research Interests: Sarah examines collaboration across governmental and organizational boundaries, emphasizing how social and institutional factors shape healthcare governance. Her work integrates theories of collaborative governance, boundary work, and paradox theory to uncover tensions and opportunities in healthcare systems. She also explores methods like multi-sited ethnography to analyze policy and practice interactions.

Awards:

• Karolinska Institutet MMC & EHMA Research Award (2023)
• VU FSW Dissertation Award (2022)

Teaching & Advising: Sarah teaches the MA course 'Governance of Healthcare Innovation' and has supervised thesis students in Public Administration, Culture & Organization Management, and Policy, Communication & Organization programs. She actively contributes to policy-relevant research through blogs and reports for practitioners and students.

Current Projects: She is a researcher on the Talma Zorgprogramma project (2023–2027), focusing on healthcare innovation and regional governance strategies.