Liesbeth works as of 2019 as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology. Before joining the Department, she worked as a Researcher/Research Fellow at Nivel (2008-2012 & 2015-2018); UMC Utrecht (2016); OLVG (2017-2018); and King’s College London, Dept of Palliative Care & Rehabilitation (Cicely Saunders Institute, 2013-2015) & Dept of Health Psychology (2012). In 2019-2020 she was a NIAS-KNAW fellow. Liesbeth holds a BSc in Clinical and Health Psychology (with Honours) and MSc in Clinical Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2003-2008).

More information about Liesbeth van Vliet

Background

Liesbeth works as of 2019 as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology. Before joining the Department, she worked as a Researcher/Research Fellow at Nivel (2008-2012 & 2015-2018); UMC Utrecht (2016); OLVG (2017-2018); and King’s College London, Dept of Palliative Care & Rehabilitation (Cicely Saunders Institute, 2013-2015) & Dept of Health Psychology (2012). In 2019-2020 she was a NIAS-KNAW fellow. Liesbeth holds a BSc in Clinical and Health Psychology (with Honours) and MSc in Clinical Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2003-2008).

Research

Liesbeth studies how communication can heal and harm when patients are confronted with a serious, life-threatening illness. To do so, she combines insights from communication & palliative care & placebo-and nocebo-effect research. She is interested in the evidence-base of various communication elements; ranging from information-provision to clinician-expressed empathy. Most of her research focusses on oncology, but she also has experience in the domains of neurology and pediatric palliative care. She is experienced in a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies; from experimental video-vignette designs, observational studies, to clinical RCTs.

Teaching activities

• Health Psychology in Practice
• Cross-cultural Psychology of Health and Illness
• Health and Medical Psychology 
• Evaluating Interventions in Patients with Chronic Disease
• (Research) Master thesis supervision
• Bachelor thesis supervision
• Research internship supervision
• Coordination Health and Medical Psychology
• Coordination Perspectives in Clinical Neuroscience

Research Grants (selection)

• Dutch Cancer Society. When patients prefer non-disclosure: a guideline and training module for culturally sensitive information provision in palliative care (Co-applicant). 2025-22028
• Healthy Society Booster Grant. Equal Access to Palliative Care in Leiden (Co-PI). 2024
• KIEM. Exploring Personal Connection in Serious Illness Communication. (PI), 2023-2024
• Erasmus+ KA22-HED. Title: VR-TALkS: Virtual Reality communication Tool for Application and evaluation with Key stakeholders and students. (Co-applicant, local PI), 2023-2025
• ZonMW Palliantie. Title: increasing READYness for advance care planning in dementia. (Co-applicant) 2023-2025
• NWO Open Competition  XS. Title: Picture this! Exploring the effects of clinicians’ helpful and harmful communication behaviours on patients’ brain activity and brain connectivity. (PI), 2023-2024
• KNAW Early Career Partnership. What (not) to say: unraveling the (un)questionable ideal of open information-provision in advanced cancer. (Personal Grant) 2021-2022
• Dutch Cancer Society. Title: Make open Communication about evidence-based Complementary Medicine part of routine oncology practice; the participatory development of supporting tool COMMON (Co-applicant) 2020-2023
• Leids University Fund (LUF). Title:  How words can hurt: Unraveling the nocebo-effects of communication in advanced cancer care  (Personal Grant) 2020-2021
• Dutch L’OrealUNESCO For Women in Science Award. Title: Nocebo-effects of information-provision and communication in serious illness (Personal grant), 2019
• Young Investigator Grant Dutch Cancer Society. Title: Decreasing the burden of knowledge by improving communication with seriously ill breast cancer patients (Personal Grant), 2018-2022
• Scientific Society OLVG. Title: Examining the effects of enhanced providerpatient communication on post-operative pain; an RCT performed in daily clinical care. (Principal Investigator), 2017-2019
• Foundation for the Science of the Therapeutic Encounter (FSTE). Title: Examining the effects of enhanced provider-patient communication on post-operative pain; an RCT performed in daily clinical care (Personal grant), 2017-2019
• ZonMw Palliantie. Title: A basic understanding. Towards appropriate information provision for and decision making with patients with limited health literacy in hospital-based palliative care (Co-applicant), 2018-2022
• Dutch Care Institute. Title: Shared Decision making with noncurative colorectal- and lung-cancer patients (Principal Investigator), 2016

Awards (selection)

• EAPC Post-doctoral Research Award 2023
• Heineken Young Scientist Award 2022
• EACH Jozien Bensing Research Award 2021
• VIVA-400 awardee (listed as 1 of 92 successful and inspiring women in healthcare) (2020)
• Dutch L’OrealUNESCO For Women in Science Award (2019)            
• Young Investigator Grant Dutch Cancer Society (20182022)
• CaRe Award best PhD 2013        
• Best poster prize SIOP Conference (International Society of Paediatric Oncology) 2008
• Erasmus Honours Bachelor Programme 2005  

Education

• Good Clinical Practice (2022)
• EURO IMPACT training (European Intersectorial and MultidisciplinaryPalliative Care Research Training) (2013-2014)     
• PhD training Research school Psychology & Health, Utrecht University / Nivel (20082011)

Teaching (selection)

• Teacher Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences (NIHES) (2016-current)
• Teacher Minor Medical Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2016)   
• Teacher/Tutor/Examiner MSc in Palliative Care, King’s College London (20142015)     
• Examiner Communication skills Medical OSCE (Medicine), King’s College London (2014)
• Scientific Teacher Psychology BSc, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2007-2008)    

Memberships

• SIPS (Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies)
• NVPO (Dutch Organization for Psychosocial Oncology)
• EAPC/Palliactief
• PPI (Patient Provider Interaction network, Netherlands/Flanders)
• EACH (European Association for Communication in Healthcare)
• NIAS-KNAW Fellows Association

Relevant links

Persoonlijke website >
Researchgate >
LinkedIn >
Twitter >

Publications