Jury report for Prof. J.M. (Jozien) Bensing

Director NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research) and professor Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology, Utrecht University.

Professor Bensing receives the NWO Spinoza Prize 2006 for her multidisciplinary research into the communication between doctors and patients, and her internationally used research method for quantifying non-verbal communication.

Jozien BensingJozien Bensing (12 March 1950, Tilburg) worked – after obtaining her degree in clinical psychology from Utrecht University – as a researcher, head of department and later as director of the Dutch Institute for General Practice. In 1991 she gained her doctorate from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Two years later she was appointed as professor of Clinical and Health Psychology at Utrecht University, where she served as the first female dean (1996-1998). She has been the director of NIVEL since 1985.

Jozien Bensing is the most authoritative leading researcher in the Netherlands in the area of medical communication. And internationally she is one of the leading figures in this area. As a psychologist she has demonstrated that relationships between doctors and their patients can be investigated on a sound empirical basis. She developed practical scientific protocols, not only for verbal communication, but also for non-verbal contact. Her computer-guided, non-verbal coding formed a major breakthrough and is now used by researchers in various countries.

Moreover Jozien Bensing has built up a rich database that contains more than 15,000 conversations recorded on video. This database is by far the largest in the world. At her initiative it is now also used internationally for large-scale research into the consequences of doctor-patient communication on the quality and outcome of the care, including the future health of the patient.

In October 2003 Jozien Bensing became the first non-American to receive the international George Engel Award for her outstanding research. In 2004 she was conferred the title Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau for her work in translating scientific knowledge into public and clinical applications. Bensing has more than 200 highly-cited publications to her name. She also gives many lectures and presentations about subjects at the boundary of general and mental health care, such as tiredness and pain.

Besides her scientific interests, Bensing is also highly active in various scientific boards: in addition to the various posts she holds in organisations such as the Health Council of the Netherlands, the Social Sciences Council of the Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Advisory Council on Health Research (RGO), she is co-founder and first president of the European Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH).

Josien Bensing is a dynamic, stimulating and groundbreaking researcher with an energetic personality who attracts and inspires both colleagues and young researchers. Jozien Bensing ensures a strong empirical innovation in her work, is active in the formation of scientific communities in the Netherlands and further afield, and knows how to bridge the gap between research, everyday practice and policy. The jury is convinced that with the NWO/Spinoza Prize, Jozien Bensing will strengthen and extend the lines she has set out in terms of both structure and content.

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This jury report served as the basis for the speech given by Prof. Rolf Loeber at the announcement ceremony for the NWO/Spinoza prizes 2006 on 12 June 2006.