Appointment of Gerard van den Berg as professor of Health Econometrics

The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) is proud to announce the appointment of professor Gerard van den Berg as Professor of Health Econometrics. Van den Berg is well-known for his research on the long-run effects of conditions very early in life (economic condition, nutrition, stress exposure, and so on) on cognition, health and economic productivity later in life.

Van den Berg previously worked as a professor at the VU University Amsterdam, The University of Mannheim and the University of Bristol. In 2009, he was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship Prize which consisted of a research grant of 3.5 million euro. He has also held short-term professorships in Princeton and the University of Stockholm.

As a former econometrics student of FEB, van den Berg is looking forward to starting in Groningen: “FEB has a dedicated focus on health research, including successful interdisciplinary cooperation within the Aletta School of Public Health . This fits in with my own research interests in the effects of the economy on health and the effects of health on economic outcomes. Therefore, I am also happy to have positions both at the university and at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG).

For me, a second major advantage of working at FEB, is the strong tradition in econometrics and quantitative research in social sciences. My roots are in econometrics and I always strive to use or apply novel methods to improve the quality of empirical work “

In his research, he will focus on how economic conditions early in life affect health much later in life. And van den Berg wants to research the health differences between Dutch and Germans in the border region for which he will intensify collaborations with universities and research centers in Germany.

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Gerard van den Berg