ABSTRACT
Karien Stronks speaks calmly and carefully, weighing her words. It's probably a key quality for the newly appointed chair of the Health Council of the Netherlands, who advocates for more balance in scientific research on health. ‘It's not that we need to stop certain types of research. But I do think we need to restore the balance by prioritising more research that focuses on the societal causes of health.’ While she observes some movement in this direction within Dutch academic medical centres, she notes, ‘It hasn't yet resulted in a different allocation of resources, and I believe it should.’
