Retiree Professor Eddy Van Doorslaer receives honour of knighthood

On Friday 24 February 2023, on the day of his valedictory lecture, health economist Professor Eddy Van Doorslaer has become a Knight of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands. According to deputy mayor of Rotterdam, Mr. Tim Versnel, Van Doorslaer has been awarded the royal honour for his outstanding contribution to the specialist field of health policy worldwide. "You have made healthcare fair, not just in the wealthy West but also in countries where this is less the case. Your academic work, managerial abilities and warm personality have been indispensable in this endeavour, both at Erasmus University and far beyond," said deputy mayor Tim Versnel. Eddy Van Doorslaer retired as a professor of Health Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, after a period of service of 32 years: from 1990 at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, and from 2006 also parttime at Erasmus School of Economics. As such he was a bridge builder between the economic and health sciences at the university, where he created and led a group of health economists in both schools. He was co-founder of the specialisation Health Economics in the Master in Health Economics, Policy and Law , as well as several networks promoting interfaculty cooperation in his field, such as the Rotterdam Global Health Initiative ( RGHI ), the Smarter Choices for Better Health Initiative ( SCBH ) and the Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Research ( EsCHER ).