معرفی
Wendy Janssens is a Full Professor in Development Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam’s School of Business and Economics. She serves as Director of the HERA institute (Health Economics Research Amsterdam), Academic Board Member of the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD), and Research Fellow at the Tinbergen Institute. Her research focuses on global health economics, mental health, gender issues, and intra-household decision-making, with a regional emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa. She leads interdisciplinary programs on digital health systems and universal health coverage in Kenya, including maternal mental health interventions.
Education
- PhD in Development Economics (2007), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/Tinbergen Institute
- MA in Business Economics (1998), Maastricht University
- Graduate courses in Medical Anthropology and Cultural Psychiatry from the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research
Research Interests
Janssens’ work combines impact evaluations, behavioral experiments, and micro-econometric analyses to address challenges in healthcare access, mental health, sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), and gender-based violence. Her recent projects explore digital finance’s role in women’s empowerment, the impact of social norms on child marriage, and the intersection of health insurance with microfinance systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Awards & Grants
- Editors’s Paper of the Year Award 2023
- NWO-VENI Grant (2011-2015) for health insurance-microfinance research
- Multiple grants from DFID-ESRC, BRAC, and NWO-Wotro for studies in Pakistan, Mozambique, and Kenya
Advising & Grants
Janssens supervises PhD candidates (e.g., Nihan Aksünger, Manuela Pradhan) and has coordinated projects funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PharmAccess Foundation, and the World Bank. She advises on policy design for organizations like Oxfam Novib and Pathfinder International.
Labs & Teams
She leads the HERA institute and collaborates with the Tinbergen Institute, AIGHD, and global partners like PharmAccess Foundation. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health, gender equality, and poverty reduction.
