Athena Science Shop supports non-profit organisations in all countries over the world by implementing research projects with a potential societal impact within the four research themes of Athena:
- Emerging Technologies and Society
- Health, Wellbeing and Society
- Sustainability and Society
- Education for Science and Society
Athena coordinates research projects for individuals, civil society organizations (CSO) and communities who aim to address real world problems or explore opportunities for a more sustainable future. In order to address the incoming questions, the research will be conducted by students supervised by Athena staff members.
In most cases the research includes active participation with the commissioner and various stakeholders, including communities. We offer projects for bachelor, master and research master students in the Netherlands as well as abroad. If you are an organization that would like to pose a research question, or you are a student interested in conducting your thesis or internship in this field, please contact our Science Shop coordinator on scienceshop.athena@vu.nl
The Athena Science Shop is supported by the InSPIRES project and the Living Knowledge Network. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 741677.
Student Projects: Master Year 1 (Posters)
Click the images to download the posters.
 | Digital Inclusion eHealth can have a positive impact on quality of healthcare, patient safety, the efficiency of care, cost-efficiency, and is associated with greater patient engagement. It uses ICT in health, combined with organizational change in healthcare systems. However, research shows that people with a low socioeconomic status, lower education, lower literacy and low health skills are more likely to have limited digital skills. Download poster |
 | Tsunami Warning: from baby-boom to wanted senior room An explorative study from a multi-stakeholder perspective into public-private partnerships in the Dutch healthcare and real estate market. Download poster |
 | High-value cost-conscious care carriers for medical residents in the Dutch health care system: a realist evaluation “High-value cost-conscious care is about finding a balance between quality and costs. It is a fine balance in which quality is always most important.” Download poster |
2018 MPA posters
- Identifying high-value, cost-conscious care carriers in projects initiated by Dutch medical residents - Faduma Mukhtar
- Intoxication by gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB): why, by whom and what are the consequences? - Anouk Gaaf
- Evaluation of the HCV-MOSAIC risk score for identifying HIV-positive men who have sex with men at risk for Hepatitis C, at the STI clinic of Amsterdam - Louise L.E. de Vos Klootwijk
- Impact analysis of medical device regulation (MDR) on Johnson & Johnson medical’s marketing and sales in the Netherlands - Maja Milenkovic
- Disposable no-rinse washing products in home care - Carly van Gent
- High-value cost-conscious care carriers for medical residents in the Dutch health care system: a realist evaluation - Floris Horst
- Conditions Enabling Sustainable Citizen Initiatives within the Urban Food System (UFS) of Amsterdam – Charlotte Maguet
- Transforming the R&I system on HIV and other STIs prevention in Catalonia - Karilyn E. Mujica Gastelbondo
- Contribution of the Rabobank program to a healthy lifestyle in children of primary school crescendo - Nienke Koopman
- Tsunami warning: from baby-boom to wanted senior room - Oscar Klein
- Improving the Vaccine Safety Monitoring during a Pandemic - Aileen Yang
- Challenges faced and strategies used when conducting Transdisciplinary research by Trans Global Health PhD students - Kyona Daal
- Research priorities for Leprosy – Zahra Khazai
- Factors having impact on maternal health in urban slums of megacities: Jakarta, Kinshasa and Lagos - Sanam Almuradova
- Digital inclusion – Joey Woudstra
- Perceptions of Perinatal Depression amongst Moroccan-Dutch Women and their midwives - Karima Hazzouti
Student Projects: Master Year 2 (Internship reports)
Click the images to download the reports.
 | Positive Deviance among Stigmatized People Living with
HIV, Leprosy, Schizophrenia and Diabetes in Indonesia Being sick and stigmatized by others are unpleasant experiences to be had. Many people struggle with health-related stigma, but some people succeed to overcome such stigma in their everyday lives and thrive. This article explains such positively deviant strategies. Read more |
 | Incorporation of health economic evaluations into vaccine
decision making in Canada Despite the recommendation by the WHO that economic evaluations should be incorporated into national immunization decision-making, a standardized process for conducting and using economic evaluations for vaccine decision-making is lacking in Canada. Furthermore, there has been little research into how to incorporate economic evaluations into immunization decision-making and what barriers and facilitators exist in Canadian context. Read more |
 | Barriers in access to abortion services in the United States In 1973 abortion was legalized in the United States (US). Nevertheless, the number of legal restrictions increased with 34% since 2011. Based on the legal restrictions, states can be divided into hostile, middleground and supportive states. On the other hand, legal restrictions are only some of the many barriers that women can face during their search for abortion information and services. Read more |
 | The pros and cons of using selfservice kiosks in hospitals
This study aims to examine the pros and cons of the use of self-service kiosks in hospitals in order for ChipSoft to improve their services by analysing the opinions of different key actors about the influence of the self-service kiosk on hospital services and care processes. The central research question is: “What is the influence of the self-service kiosk on hospital services and care processes according to different key actors?” Read more |
 | The pathway of orthorexia nervosa: from healthy eating to
unhealthy preoccupation with healthy eating Although an increased interest in health is often considered a positive development, this interest can sometimes develop into a pathological preoccupation with a healthy lifestyle: orthorexia nervosa (ON). Since Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia in 1997, significant research efforts have been made to investigate the phenomenon. Currently, ON is not officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, as there is too little robust evidence to classify it as such. Read more |
 | How can Healthy Eating turn into Obsession?
The purpose of this research is to investigate what are the factors that lead young women (18-‐35) to be obsessed with healthy eating. The research question is: “What are the factors contributing to the choice of healthy eating and how they are involved in the progression from healthy eating to the obsession, in young women (18-‐35)?” Read more |
 | Addressing the unmet need in respiratory viruses
Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) pose a significant
burden on health systems worldwide. Progress has been booked in reducing RTI disease burden through development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, though most efforts often fail to address the contribution of non-influenza viruses. Read more |
 | Student nurses’ attitudes to social justice and poverty: an international evaluation Research into the effect of pedagogical strategies for raising nurses’ awareness of poverty and social justice, by assessing and comparing attitudes of Scottish and American student nurses before and after different teaching methods focusing on health inequalities. Read more |
 | The understanding of Cultural Competence, a study to
an ambiguous concept in its context The increase of the development of technology, logistics and communication has led to an tremendous increase of human mobility worldwide. In the Netherlands, the diversification of the population in terms of cultural backgrounds is increasing. This phenomenon is demanding new approaches within the health sector as the concept of adequate health care differs among cultures. Read more |
2018 MPA internship reports
- Barriers in access to abortion services in the United States - Sascha van der Vliet (International Public Health specialization)
- Student nurses’ attitudes to social justice and poverty: an international evaluation - Mariska M.J. Scheffer (International Public Health specialization)
- Incorporation of health economic evaluations into vaccine decision making in Canada - Hester A. Hopman (International Public Health specialization)
- Research Priority setting for Leprosy - Zahra Khazai (Policy specialization)
- A feasibility analysis of smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment to study patterns, predictors and consequences of ecstasy use - Guido de Kort (Policy specialization)
- Towards improving civil society involvement in drug policy making: a qualitative investigation in the Netherlands - Marije Koster (Policy specialization)
- The Contribution of Harm Reduction towards the Sustainable Development Goals - Crissy van Weert (Policy specialization)
- Organizational factors that may influence the implementation of Science Shop 2.0 model at Barcelona Institute for Global Health - Semnen Roberta Lambert MD (Management and Entrepreneurship specialization)
- The pros and cons of using self-service kiosks in hospitals - Britt Reeker (Management and Entrepreneurship specialization)
- Addressing the unmet need in respiratory viruses - Jelle Feddema (Management and Entrepreneurship specialization)
- An analysis of the perspectives of the stakeholders on the first Science Shop in Tunisia - Hannah Ellerbroek (Science in Society Major)
2018 Global Health Internship Reports
- The understanding of Cultural Competence, a study to an ambiguous concept in its context - Lucille Standaar
- How can Healthy Eating turn into Obsession? – Valente Martina
- Positive Deviance among Stigmatized People Living with HIV, Leprosy, Schizophrenia, and Diabetes in Indonesia - Annisa Ika Putri
- The pathway of orthorexia nervosa: From healthy eating to unhealthy preoccupation with healthy eating - Emma Douma