Associate Professor
Strategic program(s):
Biography
Joyce Browne is a medical doctor, epidemiologist and Associate Professor of Global Health. She leads Utrecht Global Health, an initiative of Utrecht University's Strategic Theme of Life Sciences that connects expertise across disciplines to advance global health research, education and societal impact. Her work is driven by persistent inequities in health and healthcare and focuses on strengthening equitable and resilient health systems, with a longstanding scientific foundation in global maternal, reproductive and perinatal health. In addition to her UMC Utrecht appointment, she is an Affiliated Professor at the Utrecht School of Economics, Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance (REBO) of Utrecht University, strengthening interdisciplinary connections between global health and questions of governance, equity and public policy.
Her research examines how evidence, people, institutions and partnerships can improve access, quality of care and health outcomes, particularly in resource-constrained settings. She combines social and clinical epidemiology with health systems and implementation research, capacity strengthening, and the translation of evidence into policy and practice. Her work increasingly examines how health systems can respond equitably and resiliently to major societal challenges, including climate change.
Team science and equitable collaboration are central to her approach. She develops long-term international and interdisciplinary partnerships that strengthen locally led research and institutional capacity, while connecting researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers and societal partners. As part of this approach, she has supervised more than 20 PhD researchers (including nine completed doctorates) and holds ius promovendi.
Leadership, societal impact and advisory roles
Alongside her research, Browne works across science, education, policy and practice to advance global health and health equity. She has developed interdisciplinary global and planetary health education across BSc, MSc and postgraduate programmes, contributing to the establishment of various annual Utrecht Summer Schools in Global Health and Planetary Health. Her broader leadership and advisory roles span women’s health, equitable participation in health systems, institutional and societal change, and planetary health.
Current and recent roles include:
Selected previous roles include:
PhD supervision and research capacity strengthening
Doctoral supervision is an integral part of Joyce Browne's approach to research and capacity strengthening. She supervises PhD researchers across international and interdisciplinary settings, often through long-term institutional partnerships. Their research spans maternal and reproductive health, health-systems strengthening, humanitarian health, digital health, equitable global-health partnerships and planetary health.
Completed PhDs supervised
Research aim
Preventable maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity remain unacceptably high in many parts of the world. Inequities in access to quality, respectful and affordable care persist across and within countries, particularly for women, newborns, children and marginalized populations. Global Maternal and Child Health at Utrecht Life Sciences brings together researchers, educators, clinicians and societal partners to generate evidence and innovations that improve pregnancy, birth and early-life outcomes. We work across the continuum from discovery and clinical research to implementation science, health systems strengthening and policy translation, with a strong emphasis on equitable partnerships and capacity strengthening.
Go to groupResearch aim
This research group aims to contribute to health equity from an ethical and epidemiological perspective. We identify and explain health inequalities and ethically evaluate whether identified health inequalities also lead to health inequity.
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