Merel Leithaus

Merel Leithaus started working as a PhD student in the TRANS-SENIOR program. She did her Bachelor degree in European Public Health at Maastricht University in 2017. Moreover, she graduated as Master in Governance and Leadership in European Public Health at Maastricht University in 2018.

During her study she developed a strong interest in aging in Europe and the involved challenges that all member states face. The topic of her PhD research deals with optimizing care transitions in senior citizens. In particular, it focuses on transitional care impact of integrated care projects. Her topic is nested into the Integreo program running in various regions in Belgium. Merel is much interested to invest in the topic and to conduct research about preventing unnecessary transitions and improving those that are needed. She obtained a Marie Curie Fellowship as an early stage researcher. You can find more information about her research projecthere.

Publications:

Main author:

• Integrated Care Components in Transitional Care Models from Hospital to Home for Frail Older Adults: A Systematic Review- International Journal of Integrated care (2022)  https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.6447
• Stakeholders' experiences and perceptions on transitional care initiatives within an integrated care project in Belgium: a qualitative interview study- BMC Geriatrics (2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-03746-z

Coauthor:

• Implementing four transitional care interventions for older adults: a retrospective collective case study - The Gerontologist (2022) https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnac128