Tinne Smets

Tinne Smets is an Assistant Professor and senior researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), affiliated with the End-of-Life Care Research Group and the Family Medicine and Chronic Care department. Holding a PhD in Social Health Sciences, her work focuses on improving care for older adults in palliative settings, particularly in nursing homes and community contexts.

• Current projects include Horizon Europe-funded EU NAVIGATE (2022–2027), Stand Up Against Cancer (2023–2027), and FWO-funded RATHER-NH (2022–2026).
• Past leadership roles in major initiatives like CAPACITY (FWO-SBO, 2019–2023) and PACE (EU FP7, 2011–2015) highlight her expertise in end-of-life care research.

Her recent research emphasizes advance care planning, digital health interventions, and reducing avoidable hospital transitions. Key publications focus on dementia care, quality of life, and ethical frameworks in palliative settings. Smets contributes to projects involving social connection and public health innovations for seriously ill populations.