From the 2nd NOHR conference in Gothenburg, a special issue of International Journal of Public Sector Management is now available. Guest editors are Inga-Lill Johansson, Lars Norén and Ewa Wikström. The complete reference is:

Special Issue: Patient-centred care: a Nordic perspective. International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 23, Iss. 4, start page 331.

Enjoy!

Invitation to Conference on Health - Call for abstracts

Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School
September 13-15, 2010

Key note speakers and stream conveners: Senior Lecturer, PhD Monica Greco, Associated Professor, PhD Thomas Lemke, Professor Alan Petersen, Professor Paul Du Gay and Associate Professor, PhD Eric Mykhalovskiy.

Conference organizers: Associate Professor, PhD Nanna Mik-Meyer and PhD fellow Anne Roelsgaard Obling.

Health – A new religious awakening in Western Societies?

Some scholars claim that health has taken over the role of religion in contemporary Western societies. Health has become synonymous with happiness and the possibility of living a perfect life. Health has become a matter of truth, intertwining norms, human practices and power relations. Today life itself is permeated by different kinds of health strategies, which situates the medicalised body as subject and object of regulation. The individual subject is now expected to experience the inner and outer world, and rebuild its own identity in relationship to a discourse of health and well-being. Speaking in the light of health is, as Monica Greco claims, a very powerful rhetoric. In this conference we have invited some of the most influential scholars working in the fields of sociology, history of medicine and the body, politics of bioethics, critical theory etcetera to discuss the prominent, normative role of health today. They will touch upon questions such as: How does the sociology of the body and the way we reflect upon diseases connect to neoliberal thinking? How do technologies of health differ from other technologies of subjectification? How does health and well being discourse define us as human beings? How does the normal differs from the pathological in these discourses? And are we all becoming somatic individuals?

The conference will involve a combination of plenary lectures from five key note speakers, and the presentation of papers by conference participants in smaller, themed groups. The groups will be organized in following tracks:
1)      Health as religion: the normative role of health in contemporary Western societies
2)      The politics of bioethics: bio-medicine, neo-liberalism and health
3)      Health care professionals, patients, citizens and the re-organizing of private and public domains
4)      Identity formation in health discourses: the sick body as object and subject of regulation

Important dates:
April 1, 2010: Abstract
May 1, 2010: Notification of decision of acceptance
August 10, 2010: Full Paper

Email contact information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Abstracts should be approximately 500 words (ONE page, Word document, single spaced, excluding references). New and young scholars with 'work in progress' papers are welcomed. In the case of co-authored papers, ONE person should be identified as the corresponding author. Note that due to restrictions of space, multiple submissions by the same author will not be timetabled. Abstracts should include FULL contact details, including your name, institutional affiliation, mailing address, and e-mail address. State the title of the track to which you are submitting your abstract. Abstracts should be emailed to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Papers should be approximately 7500 - 10000 words. Work in progress is accepted as well as full papers.
Price of conference: 100 Euro (including lunch, coffee, conference materials)

Working Conference Health Services Research in Europe

- Where research and policy meet -

The Hague , the Netherlands, 8-9 April 2010

Dear subscriber to the newsletter of ‘ Health Services Research in Europe’,

This newsletter contains latest information about HSR-Europe and its upcoming Working Conference, aimed at bringing researchers and policy makers together and involving both in priority setting for health services research in Europe.

Deadline Call for Contributions extended to 12 January 2010

Many thanks to subscribers who have submitted abstract contributions for the conference, creating an event for knowledge sharing on HSR and its policy use.

If you haven’t submitted a contribution yet, we want to encourage you to do so, no later than 12 January 2010, allowing us to compose a programme, in line with your views on good supply and demand of European HSR. Types of policy and/or research contributions are described at http://www.healthservicesresearch.eu/

Travel grants

As a European Commission FP-7 initiative, we can offer all participants a reduced fee of € 80 (bank transfer or credit card). In addition, two types of delegates can apply for a travel grant, this to facilitate the knowledge sharing atmosphere of the meeting. One is upcoming researchers from one out of 37 European countries (PhD or equivalent). The other is policy experts, researchers or stakeholders from one out of 19 European lower / middle income countries. Our website now contains detailed information about the procedure and time path (under ‘Registration’).

Spotlight

(Available if you wish to add a publication or activity that should be highlighted)

‘Healthy Services Research in The Netherlands’

This advisory report (published a year ago), aims to improve the contribution of HSR to (Dutch) policy, and is also relevant for European research funders. E.g., one recommendation is to ensure systematic interaction between researchers and knowledge-users, and to formulate HSR knowledge agendas interactively.

EHMA’s launch of its Management in Practice website

The European Health Management Association has just launched a searchable database of articles, presentations, policy papers and case studies. It allows policy makers, managers and researchers across Europe to share their work.

Key dates

• Call for contributions: until 12 January 2010.
• Early bird conference registration: until 1 February 2010.
• Application for travel grants: before 1 February (round 1) or 1 March (round 2, depending on funding) 2010.
• Working Conference: 8-9 April 2010 in The Hague (Netherlands).

Feedback and information

We greatly value any feedback, questions or information you wish to share. You can contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you want to unsubscribe, please send a reply and we will remove you from our database.

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter to colleagues or others who might be interested.

Kindest regards,

Johan Hansen PhD

Willemijn Schäfer MSc

http://www.healthservicesresearch.eu/