We met Clément Meier, PhD student at the University of Lausanne and member of the LIVES Centre. He tells us about his background, his research and his recent participation in the UNIL final of "Ma thèse en 180 secondes".
Tell us about yourself!
I obtained a bachelor's and a master's degree in political economy at the University of Lausanne (HEC) and have always been interested in the health sector. With this in mind, I decided to continue exploring this field in the framework of a PhD thesis in the humanities and social sciences of medicine with Prof. Jürgen Maurer and Prof. Ralf Jo. This is a multidisciplinary programme at UNIL between the faculties of Biology and Medicine (FBM), Social and Political Sciences (SSP) and in my case, even Economics (HEC).
What theme are you exploring in your doctoral work?
My dissertation focuses on the health skills and knowledge of individuals regarding end-of-life issues and their association with end-of-life care planning in Switzerland. We have observed that very few people communicate their preferences regarding end-of-life care or have advance directives.
At the same time, many people lack health knowledge. In Switzerland, 1 in 3 adults have difficulty finding, evaluating and analysing it. These people are also the ones who communicate their end-of-life preferences the least. This combination of factors is a very important public health issue that needs to be addressed by policy makers.
I am using data from some 2000 people from the European SHARE survey on ageing and focusing on the Swiss population aged 50 and over.
You recently participated in the competition "Ma thèse en 180 secondes". What did you learn from this experience?
I participated in My thesis in 180 seconds for the challenge of popularising my thesis to the general public. And I loved the coaching we received during the competition. Being able to work with a journalist taught me to use only one idea per sentence in order to have a clear message. I recommend the contest, it's really nice!
Enough about work... What is your next holiday project?
In May, I have the chance to go to Singapore to present one of my papers at a conference. I'm going to stay after the conference and have a look around Singapore and Kuala Lumpur which is next door.
MT180 - UNIL - 2023 : Clément Meier: "A public health perspective on people's health skills and knowledge about end-of-life issues and their association with end-of-life care planning in Switzerland." (in French)