Julia van Weert

Prof. Julia van Weert is a Professor of Health Communication at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on improving patient-provider communication through digital health interventions, shared decision-making processes, and health equity. Specializing in areas such as AI applications in healthcare, cancer care communication, and falls prevention in older adults, her work bridges communication science with practical healthcare challenges. She leads projects like the SNOWDROP initiative, which uses big data to empower seniors in managing medication-related fall risks. Her studies frequently address barriers to effective communication in multicultural healthcare settings and the impact of online health information on patient outcomes. Key collaborations include work with Amsterdam UMC and ASCoR, emphasizing user-centered design for clinical decision support systems.

Her expertise spans health literacy, pandemic communication during crises, and the role of mental wellbeing in health messaging. Notable projects include systematic reviews on decision aids for older adults and longitudinal studies on media consumption patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof van Weert’s research integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, often involving cross-disciplinary teams to address complex healthcare communication challenges.

She has contributed to the development of clinical tools like the ADFICE_IT system for deprescribing fall-risk drugs and the Online Value Clarification Tool for early-phase clinical trials. Her work emphasizes translating academic findings into actionable strategies for improving healthcare delivery and patient empowerment across diverse populations.