Marjolein Matthys

Marjolein Matthys is a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Public Health and Primary Care. She is affiliated with the End-of-Life Care Research Group (VUB & UGhent) and the CHARM - Consortium for Health Humanities, Arts, Reading and Medicine research unit. Her work focuses on the intersection of palliative care, assisted dying, and societal perceptions in Flemish end-of-life care practices.

Matthys holds an MSc in Social Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam, where her thesis on death confrontations among non-religious adults won the Anthropology Department's Annual Thesis Competition Award. She completed her PhD in Social Health Sciences through the CAPACITY consortium, focusing on public perceptions of palliative care and developing awareness campaign strategies in Flanders.

Her research interests span medical anthropology, narrative and discourse theory, existential anthropology, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding end-of-life dynamics. She specializes in qualitative research methodology, particularly ethnography and narrative analysis, examining how cultural, social, and historical contexts shape experiences of death, dying, and palliative care.

Analysis of her publications reveals a consistent focus on improving public understanding of palliative care through rigorous qualitative investigation. Her work identifies key areas where public knowledge gaps exist and develops strategies to address misconceptions, with particular attention to narrative elements that enhance receptivity to palliative care concepts.

Her scientific recognition includes the Anthropology Department's Annual Thesis Competition Award for her Master's research at the University of Amsterdam.

Matthys teaches various courses in qualitative research methodology and contributes to the CAPACITY: Flanders Project to Develop Capacity in Palliative Care Across Society. Her collaborative work involves multiple institutions including Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Ghent University, with frequent collaborations with researchers like Kenneth Chambaere, Luc Deliens, and Naomi Dhollander.

She conducts ethnographic research within the End-of-Life Care Research Group, exploring the synergies, complexities, and tensions between palliative care and assisted dying in Flemish end-of-life care practices, with implications for policy and public education.