Brent Taels
Brent holds a PhD in social sciences (2024 KU Leuven, supported with an FWO PhD scholarship). Being interested in looking at health and wellbeing from a societal lens, his previous research has focused on the social dimension of life threatening diseases, and the role of social workers within palliative and end-of-life care.
Affiliation
Ghent University
Areas of expertise
- Organisation of the healthcare landscape
- Social determinants of health
- Social dimension of healthcare services and delivery
- Implementation science
Get to know Brent
What do you think is the strength of The Symphony of Us?
‘Without any doubts, the interdisciplinary cooperation within the research team and the transdisciplinary character of the project as a whole. To create value for patients we need a multitude of perspectives, and that is exactly what makes this project challenging but also fascinating.’
What drew you to the project?
‘In my previous research I mainly collaborated with health and social care professionals in studies that were ultimately aimed at improving the care delivery for patients as end users. However, just as we are rightfully starting to talk more and more about patient-oriented care, I think we should also start to put more and more emphasis on patient-oriented research. The explicit goal of actively including the patient’s voice in this project, is something that is very appealing to me.’
How does your expertise contribute to this research?
‘During my PhD, I was trained as an implementation scientist, which means that in all research activities one does, one takes into account the concrete realities and intrinsic needs of stakeholders who later potentially realize a certain change in practice. If you explicitly take such things into account from the start of your research, there is a greater chance that it will also influence the real-world.’
"All patients deserve a voice, but some have less opportunities to make their voices heard."
What insight from your field would you like to share with the world?
‘While I have a strong belief in the power of human agency, evidence from my field teaches me about social determinants such as descent, income level, and education level shaping health, illness and well-being. If we want to increase the value for patients in cancer research by involving their voices, we must also remain extra vigilant that all voices are represented. All patients deserve a voice, but some have less opportunities to make their voices heard.’
How do you see the future of cancer research?
‘In clinical terms, there is increasing progress, treatments are becoming more and more effective. But cancer research is of course much broader than that. For example, it is also about how cancer can be prevented, how the well-being of patients and their relatives can be increased, and what needs they are having after treatment. This requires a better integration of different forms of knowledge in cancer research. With ‘Symphony of Us’ we are on the right track! ’
What song does The Symphony of Us symbolise for you?
‘I am a huge music fan, and it was hard to pick just one song. However, the song ‘Learning to fly’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for me really symbolises ‘Symphony of Us’ as it as it is about continuing to dream and pursue goals, no matter the difficulties, uncertainties and challenges that come along your way.’
“‘Learning to fly’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for me really symbolises ‘Symphony of Us’ as it as it is about continuing to dream and pursue goals, no matter the difficulties, uncertainties and challenges that come along your way.”
What has recently touched you deeply?
‘I am always touched by personal stories. I recently met an elderly person who recently became ill because of cancer. Due to various circumstances, this person no longer has a large social network. However, it is precisely for these people that care provision, and oncological research must be extra attentive! Social relationships are essential to be able to deal with an illness or to overcome it.'
Which qualities do you value in others?
‘Honesty and empathy are key for me. In health care, empathy sometimes seems to dissipate when people are under pressure. Which is why in a project like The Symphony of Us, we need to ask all actors about their challenges and involve them. Understanding each other more can already make a huge difference.’
If you were to take a sabbatical year, how would you fill it?
‘Although traveling would be a pretty likely answer, I might go for starting a new hobby and actually taking the time to delve into it.’
Our other researchers
Teodora Lalova-Spinks
Ghent University
Silke Léonard
AP Antwerp
Florence Horicks
Université Libre de Bruxelles