ABOUT
Hi, I'm Linda Mans. I'm based in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. I have always been fascinated by the interplay of theory and practice. I studied Health Promotion/ Health Education as one of the disciplines within Health Sciences at Maastricht University. But it was Gender Studies that made me critically aware of existing norms and values that we (re)produce: in policies and in everyday life.
Since then social justice and gender equity have been key drivers for the unfolding of my professional career. I got great opportunities to explore a wide range of topics in the field of (global) health and well-being. For instance as co-rapporteur and member of the writing team of the Dutch shadow report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Or as initiator and trainer of participatory video workshops, for instance with young women in the Niger Delta as participants. And at Wemos as manager and coordinator of the successful European project ‘Health Workers for All’ that aimed at contributing to a sustainable health workforce world-wide.
As Manskracht I am able to combine a broad range of research and writing activities regarding health workforce developments, global health and gender equality/ women's rights.
In addition to my fields of expertise, supporting a 'Healthy Planet' has become my topic of interest and concern (i.e. One Health). Bird-watching, hiking and cycling have made me more aware of the delicate balance of biodiversity and the impact of our actions as human population (not to mention the threat of climate change). The Gardening Project is an experiment in that regard, but it is also just fun to watch plants grow into vegetables or fruits.
Through Manskracht I’m keen to further explore the intersection of healthy people and a healthy planet, its socioeconomic dimensions and what practices and policies it requires at all levels (from local to global) to restore living well in balance and harmony with Mother Nature. Learn more about my work by checking out my current and past projects and in my blog.
As of October 2021 I'm also part-time working as Policy Officer Science and Knowledge Development Healthcare at the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (Nivel). I have supported Nivel with its academic research evaluation carried out with an evaluation protocol developed by Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and VSNU. The evaluation protocol is the core of the quality assurance system for research. The independent assessment committee concluded that 'Nivel is a great institute with added value for science, policy and healthcare practice.'
