In memoriam Jozien Bensing, the first female FSBS Dean

Jozien Bensing has passed away. She was Professor Emeritus of Clinical and Health Psychology and the first female Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences. With her passing, we have lost an influential academic and administrator, and a remarkable colleague.

Jozien Bensing was a dynamic and pioneering researcher who encouraged and inspired her colleagues.

Jozien Bensing was born in Tilburg in 1950. After completing her secondary education, she went on to study Psychology in Utrecht (1967–1975); she graduated from the department (then known as Clinical & Industrial Psychology) where she would later become a professor.

Doctor-patient communication

In 1991, Jozien Bensing obtained her PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam with a thesis on doctor-patient communication, a topic that remained a focus of her interest throughout her academic career. She was among the world’s leading experts in this field and demonstrated that effective communication between doctors and patients is important not only for patients’ emotional well-being but also for their physical health.

NIVEL

In 1985, Jozien Bensing became scientific director of NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research) after having worked for several years as a researcher at NIVEL’s predecessor, the Netherlands Institute of General Practitioners.

Professor

In 1993, she became a professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology (KGP) at Utrecht University. With her expertise in the psychosocial aspects of health and illness, she enriched the KGP’s focus on clinical research into mental health and psychobiological research into physical health with a new perspective. Upon her retirement as a professor in 2015, Bensing was knighted in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

As a professor and researcher at Utrecht University, Bensing was generous in sharing her knowledge and encouraged young researchers in their careers, although she was not averse to setting a clear direction for the research of individual researchers and her research group as a whole.

Team science avant la lettre

With a keen eye for social and scientific relevance, she was one of the first leaders to put the importance of team science on the agenda – an approach to which some researchers, accustomed to working independently, had to adjust.

First female Dean

Following her appointment in 1996 as the first female dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, she steered the faculty’s research and teaching as an enthusiastic administrator at a time when a directive approach – and certainly not from a woman – was not the norm. Some had to get used to her boundless energy, which was characterised by a deep sense of commitment; a few perceived this as controlling.

Role model for young female researchers

Jozien Bensing was a tireless worker who did not hesitate to cut short her holidays abroad if her work required it. Every morning she would set off before dawn from her beloved Haaften to arrive in Utrecht on time. With that attitude, in which she seemingly effortlessly combined her academic career with looking after two children alongside her husband Jouke van der Zee (1947–2025), who also worked at NIVEL and was a professor by special appointment at Maastricht University, she was a shining example for young female researchers. Despite her hard work, there was always time for a good chat. Jozien Bensing could tell fantastic stories, and it was a delight to attend conferences with her and discuss science in the broadest sense of the word, a glass of wine in hand.

Advisory and supervisory roles

In addition to her work as a professor and director of NIVEL, Bensing was also socially engaged. As a member of organisations including the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Health Council of the Netherlands, she contributed to numerous influential reports at the intersection of science and society. She also served as a supervisory board member at Erasmus MC, the Jeroen Bosch Hospital and Medisch Spectrum Enschede.

Awards

Jozien was highly regarded and honoured for her work. In 2003, she became the first non-American to receive the prestigious George Engel Award from the American Academy of Physician and Patient for her research into verbal and non-verbal communication between doctors and patients. In 2006, she was awarded the equally prestigious Dutch NWO Spinoza Prize for her work.

We remember Jozien Bensing as an enthusiastic and energetic researcher with a deep commitment to her field, and as a capable and dedicated administrator.