Barbara Groot-Sluijsmans

Barbara Groot-Sluijsmans is an Assistant Professor at the Amsterdam Public Health Institute (APH) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, holding dual roles in the Departments of Aging & Later Life and Methodology. Her research focuses on advancing participatory action research, qualitative creativity, and ethical frameworks in healthcare, particularly for vulnerable populations. She has a PhD in ethics of participation and over 20 years of experience across healthcare, academia, and policy.

Her work emphasizes participatory arts-based methodologies, ethics of care, and transdisciplinary collaboration. She co-founded platforms like the Centre for Client Experiences and the School for Participation, aiming to integrate patient and community perspectives into healthcare systems.

Key contributions include an ethics framework for citizen science and co-production in mental health care. She serves on advisory panels for NWO and the APH Methodology program and is an Associate Editor for Action Research (2022–2024). Her research spans healthcare clowning in dementia care, moral learning in nursing, and age-friendly urban design.

Awards include the 2024 VU Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and the KNAW Early Career Partnership scholarship. Her courses emphasize qualitative research methods, reflecting her commitment to training future researchers in participatory and ethical practices.