Daniëlle Jansen is the former Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport and healthcare researcher. She specializes in prevention, health policy, healthcare systems, youth care, and public health.

What happens when a scientist with deep expertise in healthcare systems suddenly finds herself shaping national healthcare policy?
Daniëlle Jansen understands how policy affects people’s lives — from the frontline of healthcare to the cabinet table. As a researcher, Member of Parliament, and Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, she built a unique bridge between science, society, and politics. Her keynote speeches are insightful, thought-provoking, and grounded in extensive experience across healthcare, academia, and public administration.

With a clear vision on prevention, public health, youth care, and sustainable healthcare systems, Daniëlle Jansen makes complex issues both accessible and urgent. She inspires organizations, policymakers, and professionals to look beyond treating symptoms and to invest in long-term health and wellbeing.

Biography
Born in the Noordoostpolder in the Netherlands, Daniëlle Jansen combined her early interest in people and society by earning degrees in both Nursing and Sociology. This unique combination laid the foundation for a career in which science, healthcare, and public policy would continuously intersect.

After a brief period working in healthcare practice, she moved into academia. At the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), she worked within the Departments of Health Sciences and later General Practice and Long-Term Care. In 2006, she obtained her PhD with research focused on collaboration in the care of people with complex health conditions — a theme that remains central to her vision of effective, person-centered healthcare.

As an Assistant Professor and later Associate Professor, Daniëlle Jansen built an impressive academic career. Her research focused on prevention, public health, socioeconomic health inequalities, youth care, implementation science, and the organization of healthcare systems, with particular attention to vulnerable populations.

Between 2017 and 2020, she led the development of a new Midwifery Research Programme. From 2021 to 2023, she headed the research programme Organization and Evaluation of Care in the Youth Care Chain. Throughout her academic career, she also supervised medical and sociology students and served as a mentor for PhD candidates requiring additional support beyond their formal supervisory teams.

Daniëlle Jansen also established a strong international reputation. From 2013 to 2020, she served as Chair of the Child and Adolescent Public Health Section of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA). She led multiple international research consortia and spoke at conferences around the world on prevention, vaccination policy, public health, primary care, and healthcare for vulnerable populations.

In November 2023, Daniëlle Jansen entered national politics as a Member of the Dutch House of Representatives. There, she became a prominent advocate for prevention, public health, and healthcare policy. Her commitment to creating a Smoke-Free Generation evolved into one of her defining missions. She also worked actively on addressing medicine shortages and improving access to essential pharmaceuticals.

During her parliamentary tenure, she served as Vice-Chair of the Temporary Committee on Fundamental Rights and Constitutional Review. She was subsequently appointed Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. In that role, she oversaw the administrative signing of the Supplementary Health and Welfare Agreement and launched the National Women’s Health Strategy.

Today, Daniëlle Jansen is a highly sought-after speaker in the Netherlands and abroad. Her unique combination of scientific expertise and political leadership enables her to speak with both authority and authenticity on prevention, health policy, the Dutch healthcare system, youth care, and public health.

In addition, she serves on the board of the Foundation Supporting the Movement of Zero, an initiative dedicated to creating a future in which every child can grow up safely, healthily, and thrive at home.