Studying the complex role of the environment in shaping practices and experiences of serious illness, caregiving, dying and grieving through interdisciplinary research and innovation in Compassionate Communities

11-2024 to 10-2029

In our lives, we all face challenging times related to serious illnesses, caregiving, dying and grieving. These experiences are universal and touch everyone, irrespective of their backgrounds. Recognizing the universality, but at the same time also the complexity of these experiences, our research project, COCO, aims to investigate how our environments influence our experiences and practices during these critical times. To accomplish this, an interdisciplinary consortium covering 11 research groups from 5 different VUB faculties, collaborates under the umbrella of Compassionate Communities (COCO). The team comprises specialists from diverse fields, including cultural sciences, behavioural and social sciences, biology, medicine, and sciences and technology. Together they will conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research to better understand the role of our social, cultural, and physical environments in shaping our experiences around serious illness, caregiving, dying, and grieving. Our project is structured around four key goals: (1) generating new insights through research, (2) developing, and (3) evaluating Compassionate community programs using innovative methodologies, and (4) facilitating the uptake of this knowledge beyond the academic community. We are committed to making a tangible difference, aiming to shift paradigms and influence policies to better support individuals during times of serious illness, caregiving, death, dying and grief. By combining research knowledge with practical local initiatives, we are creating a world where compassion is interwoven into the fabric of our society, and support during times of illness and loss is a communal effort.

• Supervisor: Joachim Cohen, End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Supervisor: Sarah Dury, Society and Ageing Research Lab (SARLab), Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Lieve Van den Block, End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Lara Pivodic, End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Liesbeth De Donder, Society and Ageing Research Lab (SARLab), Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Eva Dierckx, Society and Ageing Research Lab (SARLab), Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor)r: An-Sofie Smetcoren, Society and Ageing Research Lab (SARLab), Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Christophe Snoeck, Archaeology, Environmental Changes & Geo-Chemistry (AMGC), Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Free De Backer, Brussels Research Centre on Innovation in Learning and Diversity, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Koen Lombaerts, Brussels Research Centre on Innovation in Learning and Diversity, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Bram Spruyt, Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Deborah De Moortel, Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Elisabeth Bekers, Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Nele Aernouts, Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Michael Ryckewaert, Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Filip Van Droogenbroeck, Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies, Data Analytics Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Katrien Beeckman, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Dorien Brosens, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (co-supervisor): Sara De Gieter, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Consortium member (collaborator): Steven Vanderstichelen,  End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel