Public Health

My research focus is on informed decision-making in HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening.

New developments in HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening and opportunities for tailored screening in the future raises new questions about information provision to the target population of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. This will increase the challenge of informed-decision making, especially among individuals from low socioeconomic and non-western ethnic background who generally have low health literacy skills. To promote informed decision-making it is important to provide people with adequate information that corresponds to the information needs and perspectives of the target group.

In my current research, we use mixed methods to study target populations’ information needs for informed decision-making in HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. In co-creation with the target group (women and parents from diverse backgrounds and health literacy levels), we will develop prototype information that support informed decision-making.

Marlon Rolink is member of the section Quality and Organization of Care, Department of Public and Occupational Health. QOC is a multidisciplinary section that aims to improve the quality and organization of public, curative, and palliative health care for citizens, patients and health care professionals, organizations and health care systems by performing research and translating scientific knowledge into practice, policy and education.

Within this section her research falls with the research group RISC Amsterdam. In the RISC expert centre, we perform interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on health risk communication and individual and shared decision making, and integrate scientific knowledge with policy and practice. We work closely with The National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and health care professionals.