Current Projects

Examples of current projects, please see our researcher profiles for more information:

  • We lead the Swiss component study of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in collaboration with the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS). SHARE is a multi-disciplinary longitudinal data collection effort that covers individuals aged 50 and older in Europe. SHARE collects information on many life domains of older adults including their health status, healthcare use, work and socio-economic status, family ties, consumption, housing, income, and savings to name but a few. The Swiss component study of SHARE is financed through a research grant awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and implemented as a collaboration between UNIL and FORS. Website: www.share-project.org.
    As part of the In-Care project, we use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to understand the causal impact of eligibility rules for long-term care on the mental health older Europeans.
  • We collect the Lausanne 65+ cohort study survey data. Using data from the Lausanne 65+ cohort study, we examine how socioeconomic status influences trajectories in frailty and the transition to a nursing home in older people living in Lausanne.  
  • We use large administrative data to study the impact of socioeconomic deprivation and health care supply on potentially avoidable hospital readmissions.
  • Governance and resilience during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Switzerland. Based on in-depth interviews with local policy makers, we examine the role of Governance in generating resilience in local health systems in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Welfare reform and mental health. In collaboration with King’s College London ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, we use data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study to examine how changes to eligibility rules for social benefits targeted to lone mothers influence the mental health of children.
  • Inclusive Social Protection for Chronic Health Problems (r4d project): Our project aims to collect unique longitudinal data in India, Malawi, Sri Lanka and the Philippines in order to understand the full consequences of chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are major causes of poor health, disability and poverty as well as a major barrier to economic development in low- and middle-income countries. Prof. Jürgen Maurer is the principal investigator of the project.
  • The ALIVE project. We develop and test in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) an intervention that equips adolescents with the skills to deal with the difficulties living in poverty and strengthen self-regulation, to prevent adolescent depression and anxiety in urban settings in Colombia, South Africa and Nepal.
  • We evaluate the economic and social impact of an innovative interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation model integrating digital therapeutics and neurotechnology along the continuum of care.