As of 1 July, Prof. Eric A.P. Steegers has been appointed Professor of Social Obstetrics. The chair is hosted by Erasmus MC and additionally embedded at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). This strengthens collaboration on themes such as health inequalities, unequal opportunities, prevention, and the connection between the medical and social domains.
Health begins before birth
Research by Steegers and his team shows that preterm birth and low birthweight occur significantly more often in families affected by poverty. These differences can have major consequences for the development, health, and opportunities of children from the very beginning of their lives.
These insights underline that healthcare cannot be viewed separately from the social environment in which people live. Collaboration between healthcare organisations, the social domain, and local and national governments is therefore essential.
From this perspective, several care innovation programmes were developed, including the Rotterdam programmes Klaar voor een Kind (“Ready for a Child”), Moeders van Rotterdam (“Mothers of Rotterdam”), and the national projects Healthy Pregnancy for All. These initiatives helped lay the foundation for the national Kansrijke Start (“Promising Start”) action programme of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).
Connection with ESHPM
With the chair in Social Obstetrics, Steegers aims to further develop this integrated approach. Key themes include health inequalities and unequal opportunities, the importance of the first thousand days of life, urban health, efficiency, and care innovation.
Central to the chair is also the connection between the medical and social domains, collaboration with local and national governments, and a cross-sectoral and interdepartmental approach – including through Health in All Policies. In addition, the societal application of scientific knowledge is an important focus.
On precisely these topics there are strong links with ESHPM’s research and teaching. Prof. Maarten IJzerman, Dean of ESHPM, sees Steegers’ arrival as a natural strengthening of the school: “When the opportunity arose to embed this chair partly at ESHPM, the decision was made quickly. Eric has developed a distinctive and socially relevant programme that fits ESHPM extremely well. The connection we seek between the medical and social domains is one he has been putting into practice for many years. I look forward to learning from his experience and to further strengthening this connection together.”
By embedding the chair at ESHPM, Steegers aims to further enhance this collaboration and contribute to reducing health inequalities and unequal opportunities from the earliest possible moment in life.
About Prof. Eric Steegers
Prof. Eric A.P. Steegers (1961) was, until his appointment as Professor of Social Obstetrics, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. His research focuses, among other things, on the impact of social and economic circumstances on pregnancy, birth, and children’s opportunities later in life.
His work has contributed to a broader approach to perinatal care, in which not only medical factors are central, but also the social conditions in which parents and children live. In this, Steegers actively seeks collaboration with other faculties within Erasmus University Rotterdam, as well as with societal and public organisations.
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