INSIDE THE ISSUE:

Le�er from the President 1

Open Call for PhD Posi�ons 33rd cycle 2University of Milan, University of Turin

PhD Studentship ‐ University of Antwerp 3

New Journal of Medical Sociology 4

17 ESHMS Congress 4

26th Sociology of Health & Illness Monograph: Call for papers 5

News from Poland 6

June 2017Issue 1

Letter from the President

Dear Colleagues,

The biannual conference marks the highlight of our society. Our next conference will be held in Lisbon early June next year and it will be hosted by ISCTE ‐ Ins�tuto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE‐IUL). With the main theme Old tensions, Emerging Paradoxes in Health: rights knowledge and trust the conference will provide a pla�orm for discussing key developments in a broad range of nodes and interlinks between health and changes in our socie�es as well as influences deriving from other areas such as the cl imate change, migra�on or economic constraints.

In addi�on to the main conference the ESHMS has been organising events also on those years when there is no conference. This year a Special Interest Mee�ng was planned to take place in Brighton, to be organised by University of Sussex. Even though the event a�racted quite a lot of posi�ve feedback in advance, the interest did not eventually materialise, most probably this is due to the �ming: next end of August happens to be quite a busy conference season. This resulted in a rela�vely low number of submissions which is why in the end the mee�ng had to be cancelled. We considered also a shorter, one‐day event but that would have been an unsa�sfactory solu�on especially for the par�cipants coming overseas.

Hopefully this will not discourage those who have planned a similar event as Special Interest M e e � n g s h a v e p r o v i d e d a n i n s p i r i n g environment for members and other scholars to interact in an informal event.

In Lisbon the prepara�ons are currently well on the way. So be sure to mark the conference dates in your agenda already. The main event will take place on 7‐8 June, 2018. Also the call for abstracts is to be launched any day now. You will find more informa�on and the crucial dates at the conference website:

h�ps://eshms2018.wixsite.com/eshms2018lisbon

Sakari KarvonenPresident of the ESHMS

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ESTABLISHMENT OF PhD PROGRAMMES

A compe��ve public examina�on procedure is hereby announced for admission to 33rd cycle PhD programme in Sociology and Methodology of Social Research (SOMET) jointly ac�vated and managed by the Università degli Studi di Torino and the Università degli Studi di Milano. The Università degli Studi di Torino is the administra�ve head office.

Available posi�ons:‐ Ordinary posi�ons (with scholarships, posi�ons without financial support);‐ Reserved posi�ons (with or without financial support, reserved to students with interna�onal degree).

The number of posi�ons with or without financial support available for the PhD programme, topics of research projects, entry requirements, selec�on procedure and admissions criteria are outlined in the PhD Programme Informa�on Sheet (Annex 1 to the Newsle�er).

Applicants who already hold a PhD are eligible and m a y o n l y a p p l y f o r p o s i � o n s w i t h o u t scholarships/financial support.

Rector's Decree n. 1934 dated 15th June 2017

Subject: Subject:

Open Call for PhD

Positions 33rd cycle

Deadline: 4th July 2017 at 12.00 p.m. (midday, Italian time)

For more informa�on, forms please find enclosed to the Newsle�er in your e‐mail

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Job descrip�on The Department of Sociology at Antwerp University,

Belgium, invites applica�ons for a full‐�me (100%) PhD studentship.

The candidate will be expected to pursue a PhD in the field of medical sociology.

The research will focus on the impact of European family policy on mental wellbeing in young parents.

The candidate will contribute to teaching and research in the Department of Sociology (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium).

Profile and requirements You hold a master degree in social sciences, social

epidemiology or public health. We are, however, happy to consider applicants with a wide range of substan�ve interests.

You have an interest in the sociological study of (mental) health, in gender studies and/or in social policy research..

You have demonstrated exper�se and interest in conduc�ng advanced quan�ta�ve sta�s�cs. You are able to develop mul�level models or are willing to train yourself in this sta�s�cal technique.

Your academic English and wri�ng skills allow you to successfully communicate your research results.

Your academic quali�es comply with the requirements s�pulated in the 'universitys policy.

Foreign candidates are encouraged to apply. Students in the final year of their master's program can

also apply.

We offer

a doctoral scholarship for a period of two years, with the

possibility of a renewal for a further two‐year period a�er

a posi�ve evalua�on;

the start date of scholarship will be 1 September or 1

October 2017;

a monthly grant amount ranging from € 2.189,88 ‐ €

2.334,46;

a dynamic and s�mula�ng work environment.

Subject: Subject:

Doctoral Grant

(University Research

Fund (BOF)) in the

area of medical

sociology

Deadline: August 15, 2017

How to apply?

Applica�ons may only be submi�ed online, un�l the

closing date August 15, 2017.

A pre‐selec�on will be made from amongst the

submi�ed applica�ons. The remainder of the selec�on

procedure is specific to the posi�on and will be determined by

the selec�on panel.

The interviews will take place between August 22

and September 16, 2017.

More informa�on about the applica�on form can be obtained

from Myra De Munck (Tel. 03 265 32 24).

For ques�ons about the profile and the descrip�on of du�es,

please contact prof. Sarah van de Velde (e‐mail:

sarah.vandevelde@uantwerpen.be; tel: 03 265 55 24).

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The range of research possibili�es includes micro‐

level interac�ons in the clinic, popula�on‐level analysis of

mortality inequali�es and macro‐level policy analysis of

governance.

Sociological approaches to health and medicine

a�end to power and disjuncture between stated

inten�ons, prac�ce and outcomes, keeping the various

levels where health and illness are produced in view,

including paradoxical effects. When an interven�on to

reduce incidence of disease is more effec�ve with

wealthier people, socio‐economic inequality in mortality

can widen – demonstra�ng the paradox of individual

health benefits alongside damage to the social good of

equity. Studying health and medicine in context can offer

evidence relevant for building a more equitable society.

But it also offers existen�al insight, for instance into the

changing limits of ethical and moral behavior, for instance

in light of new biotechnological reproduc�ve prac�ce.

Theore�cally and methodologically eclec�c,

sociology seeks evidence from a range of sources in

pursuit of a vision of good health for our embodied,

imagina�ve selves, in socie�es where our prac�ce and

aspira�ons are collec�vely played out.

fron�ersin.org/Medical‐Sociology

The world over, good health is highly valued.

Scien�fically informed medicine has become the most

authorita�ve source of evidence and interven�on,

promo�ng health for individuals and popula�ons across

the globe. Medicine and the promo�on of health through

medical means is a complex set of interests encompassing

markets, capital, governments, professions, configured

na�onally and transna�onally alongside people's

existen�al and embodied experiences and fantasies.

Examining medicine's prac�ce and how this becomes a

commodified product or service is one way of

interroga�ng the sociology of medicine's rela�onship with

health and illness.

17th ESHMS Congress ‐

Lisbon, June 7th‐8th 2018

The 17th ESHMS congress will take place in Lisbon, June 7th –8th 2018. The �tle of the

conference is “Old Tensions, Emerging Paradoxes in Health: Rights, Knowledge, And Trust”.

The conference will be preceded by a pre‐conference workshop for PhD and early career

researchers. More informa�on about the conference can be found on the conference's website:

. eshms2018.iscte‐iul.ptThe call for abstracts and other informa�on relevant to

par�cipants will be posted on this website later this summer.

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Editors: Flis Henwood and Benjamin Marent b.marent@brighton.ac.uk

oday, where a new genera�on of mobile digital technologies are increasingly embedding into the organisa�on and prac�ces of healthcare, digital health has become an increasingly important topic in studies of health and illness. The 26th Sociology of Health & Illness Monograph will bring together theore�cal and empirical contribu�ons to progress a dis�nc�ve sociological understanding of this rapidly developing and globally significant field. The monograph will be published in January issue of the journal in 2020 (online in December 2019). It will explore how sociological theories and methodologies are being developed and applied in analysing the coevolu�on of digital technology and healthcare prac�ces by addressing the following cross‐cu�ng themes:

Digital subjec�vi�es: Topics coming under this theme might explore how pa�ents, carers and professionals are posi�oning themselves towards digital technologies and which role expecta�ons and responsibili�es are enacted by health apps and digital care pathways. Contribu�ons are welcome that emphasis the emo�ons and embodiments that are produced and the strategies pa�ents and professionals follow by engaging in or resis�ng digital health.

Digital knowledges: We invite contribu�ons that examine prac�ces of collec�ng, sharing and sensemaking of quan�fied health data. Thereby, the ambigui�es inherent in quan�fied data and its nego�a�ons with embodied, experien�al or expert knowledge might be addressed. Par�cularly, we seek perspec�ves that explore new forms of labour involved in producing quan�fied data and genera�ng health informa�on and how these prac�ces reconfigure lay knowledge, medical authority, and produce new forms of commodifica�on.

Digital networks: Contribu�ons are invited that theorise and explore the digital culture of connec�vity and its consequences for pa�ent‐

Call for papers

Digital Health: Sociological Perspec�ves 26th Sociology of Health & Illness Monograph

professional interac�ons, organisa�on of healthcare delivery, and everyday mobili�es. Here the rela�onship between closeness and distance in remote forms of care might become subject of discussion, par�cularly as applied in rural areas and the global south. Other topics might include new forms of integra�on and collabora�on within virtual hospitals and communi�es of care. We welcome contribu�ons inves�ga�ng issues of power, surveillance, and privacy along the emergence of digital health networks. Digital temporali�es: This theme addresses the instantaneity through which health informa�on is provided by digital technologies, giving rise to new construc�ons of illness histories and projec�ons. We invite contribu�ons that assess how pa�ents and professionals experience the need for ac�on created through instantaneity and how 'present pasts' and 'present futures' are enacted within current prac�ces of self‐care and treatment.

The monograph will appear both as a regular issue of the journal and in book form in January 2020. Poten�al contributors should send an abstract of up to 600 words to by 31st July 2017. b.marent@brighton.ac.ukAbstracts should clearly indicate the proposed paper's sociological importance. Informal email enquiries prior to submission are welcome. Name and ins�tu�onal affilia�on of author(s) should also be supplied, including full contact details.

Proposals will be reviewed by the monograph team and poten�al authors no�fied by 30 September 2017. These short‐listed authors will be invited to submit their work by 31 January 2018. Submissions will be refereed in the usual way and should follow the journal's style guidelines (h�p://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291467‐9566/homepage/ForAuthors.html).

See also: h�p://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467‐9566/homepage/call_for_papers.htm

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Selected International Research Activities of the Department of Medical Sociology, Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland.

Spain) who par�cipated in COURAGE in EUROPE Project. Standardized tools were used to measure quality of life (WHOQOLAGE) and social determinants (COURAGE Social Network Index, OSLO‐3 Social Support Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, par�cipa�on scale and trust). A mul�path model considering exogenous predictors (demographic, economic), mediators (social) and endogenous outcome (QOL) was created to reveal the role of determinants. The results showed gender‐related differences in the associa�on between social constructs and QOL for social networks in the group of 80+, for social support in the group of 50–64 and 65–79 years, and for social par�cipa�on in the group of 65–79 years. Males benefited more (in QOL) from social networks and social support, and women from social par�cipa�on. More informa�on on the rela�on between social network and quality of life can be find among others in the Quality of Life Research Journal (Tobiasz‐Adamczyk, B., Galas, A., Zawisza, K., Cha�erji, S., Haro, J. M., Ayuso‐Mateos, J. L., ... &Leonardi, M. (2017). Gender‐related differences in the mul�‐pathway effect of social determinants on quality of life in older age—the COURAGE in Europe project.Quality of Life Research, 1‐14.) . Within the research ac�vi�es of the Department being con�nua�on of the Courage in Europe Project the assessment of the differences between rural and urban areas as regards the role of social capital and its effect on self‐rated health and subjec�ve well‐being among older people in Poland was conducted.

Since its beginnings the Department of Medical Sociology, Chair of Epidemiology and Preven�ve Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College has been par�cipa�ng in interna�onal projects. Here will be presented two of them which we consider to be interes�ng for the environment of health and medical sociologists. First of them is the European 3‐year Collabora�ve Research on Ageing in Europe, widely known as the COURAGE in Europe Project. It involved 12 partners from four European countries and the World Health Organiza�on. The Project included several studies referring to the issue of social networks. The main survey was conducted by partners in Finland, Poland and Spain where it was administered to a sample of 10 800 persons. The survey was finalized in March 2012. The important project's achievement was developing the COURAGE Social Network Index (COURAGE‐SNI). The index is a mul�dimensional instrument, which assesses elements of func�on of social networks (frequency of direct contact, �es and social support) in eight structural components (spouse or partner, parents, children, grandchildren, other rela�ves, neighbors, friends and co‐workers). It was published in the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy journal ( Zawisza, K., Galas, A., Tobiasz‐Adamczyk, B., Cha�erji, S., Haro, J. M., Miret, M., ...&Leonardi, M. (2014). The validity of the instrument to evaluate social network in the ageing popula�on: the Collabora�ve Research on Ageing in Europe Social Network Index. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 21(3), 227‐241.) The analysis of the issue of social network's func�on covered the rela�on between social network and quality of life. The study group consisted of 5099 par�cipants aged 50+ represen�ng general popula�ons of three different European regions (Finland, Poland,

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Selected International Research Activities of the Department of Medical Sociology, Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland.

employability of the pa�ents.Department of Medical Sociology is mainly responsible for project evalua�on, which consists of a systema�c appraisal of the success of the project, referring to the quality of the project (whether the outcomes meet the needs of the target groups) and its results (whether the project objec�ves have been achieved). Evalua�on focus on three aspects: quality, �ming and costs. This allows a con�nuous monitoring of project's advancements. Within evalua�on the Department of Medical Sociology prepare SWOT analysis to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportuni�es and threats at every stage of the project. Involvement in PATHWAYS of 12 partners with vast exper�se in the area of chronic and mental condi�ons and employment from 10 different European countries allows to compare strategies between different European regions, taking into account cultural, social, and poli�cal differences. Stakeholder consulta�ons, including advocacy organiza�ons, employers, policy makers, interna�onal organiza�ons, and European Union delegates, will provide useful insights as to the d e v e l o p m e n t a n d i m p l e m e n t a � o n o f p o l i c y recommenda�ons to improve their integra�on or reintegra�on into the workplace. In this way, PATHWAYS will provide the first steps to work towards a more inclusive labour market in which persons with chronic diseases and mental disorders can meaningfully par�cipate.

The sample was selected on the basis of mul�‐stage clustered design from the non‐ins�tu�onalized adult popula�on. Analysis was based on 1,299 elderly people aged 65 and over from the general Polish popula�on who par�cipated in the COURAGE in Europe project. Six regions of Poland were dis�nguished according to NUTS classifica�on. As an indicator of social capital, the COURAGE Social Network Index, the OSLO‐3 Social Support Scale, and the three item UCLA Loneliness scale were used, as well as social par�cipa�on and trust was assessed. Self‐rated health (SRH) was measured by WHO‐Europe recommended version (ranging from 'very good' to 'very bad'). Well‐being was assessed by the Day Reconstruc�on Method. The results showed that in urban areas, social network and social par�cipa�on supported posi�ve self‐rated health; in rural, older residents the number of years of educa�on and social support played the same role, while self‐rated health decreased with an increasing level of loneliness. Self‐rated health decreased in both groups of older people with a growing number of diseases. The mul�variate linear regression model of predictors of well‐being in older age also confirmed differences between urban and rural elderly residents. In rural residents, subjec�ve well‐being significantly increased with the posi�ve effect of the social network. In both urban and rural areas, poor assessment of subjec�ve well‐being in older age increased with a higher level of loneliness and growing number of chronic diseases. Currently the Department of Medical Sociology par�cipates in the PATHWAYS project (“Par�cipa�on To Healthy Workplaces And inclusive Strategies in the Work Sector”). PATHWAYS is an interna�onal project, co‐funded by the Health Programme of the European Union, coordinated by Ma�lde Leonardi from the Ins�tute Carlo Besta in Milan, Italy. The project gathers together health scien�sts (physicians, psychologists, medical sociologists, etc.) from 10 European countries including Italy, Spain, Greece, Norway, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovenia. PATHWAYS project aims to contribute to the development of innova�ve approaches to promote the professional re/integra�on of persons with chronic health problems (i.e. depression, headaches, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, COPD and cardiovascular disease), that are rarely studied in the context of their influence on work ability and

Prof. Beata Tobiasz‐Adamczyk and Team

beata.tobiasz‐adamczyk@uj.edu.pl

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All members of the ESHMS are encouraged to send

any material that they would like to see included in future newsletters.

Contact: Zofia Slonska (slonska@post.pl)