Theresa Sophie Busse

Digital health is increasingly shaping everyday healthcare and harbours both extensive opportunities and challenges. In order to improve care and strengthen equal opportunities and empowerment, it is essential to break down barriers and promote user-centred and needs-based technology development. At the same time, there is a need to strengthen digital skills among healthcare providers and citizens.

The Junior Professorship of Digital Health sees itself as a central intersection of various healthcare disciplines (including nursing, psychology, (dental) medicine and computer science). The relevance of interprofessional collaboration and orientation towards the needs of practice are essential components of research and teaching.

The current focus is on

• User-centred technology development
• Ethical challenges in (digital) healthcare
• Digital planetary health
• E-health literacy and the digital divide

The aim of the research is to investigate barriers and opportunities, research the use of existing technology and increase user-centricity in the field of digital healthcare. The research is orientated towards the needs and trends of healthcare.

The junior professorship is currently focussing on the following research topics

• Usability of DiGA (digital health applications) for vulnerable groups
• Acceptance and utilisation of digital interventions in healthcare
• Operationalisation of digital health literacy
• Implementation research in the field of physiotherapy
• Workshops on future scenarios

Appointment:

Since 07/2024
Junior Professorship of Digital Health, Witten/Herdecke University

04/2024 - 06/2024
Research Assistant, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Department of Nursing Science

07/2022 - 03/2024
Research Assistant, Ruhr-University Bochum, Department of General Practice

01/2022 - 06/2022
Research assistant, PedScience Vestische Forschungs-gGmbH Datteln

05/2019 - 12/2021
Research Assistant, Witten/Herdecke University, Chair of Didactics and Educational Research in Health Science

01/2019 - 03/2019
Internal Quality Management Officer, CURA Senior Citizens' Centre Ottendorf

01/2019 - 07/2019
Quality Management Officer, Hospice Kieler Förde

01/2018 - 11/2018
Healthcare and nursing assistant, Hospice Kieler Förde

11/2015 - 09/2017
Healthcare and nursing assistant, St. Franziskus Hospital Münster

Studies and training:

Since 09/2022
Applied Ethics (M. A.), University of Münster

10/2020 - 08/2022
Doctoral programme in Theoretical Medicine (Dr. rer. medic.), Witten/Herdecke University; final thesis: "Design Thinking in the participatory development process of an electronic case file in paediatric palliative care"

09/2017 - 08/2019
Research, Development and Management in Rehabilitation and Health (M.A.), University of Applied Sciences Kiel; Thesis: "How can quality management support dignified dying in the hospice sector?"

04/2013 - 02/2017
Nursing dual (B. Sc.), University of Applied Sciences Münster; Thesis: "Palliative Care Representative - A Concept for Acute Hospitals?"

10/2012 - 10/2015
Training in healthcare and nursing, St. Franziskus Hospital Münster

In teaching, the Junior Professorship of Digital Health focuses primarily on the topics of user-centred technology development, the evaluation of digital interventions and (digital) health literacy. Another focus is in the area of ethical challenges. In this context, the focus is on the fundamentals of ethics in healthcare, palliative and hospice care as a field of application of digitalisation, professional ethics in the healthcare professions and the effects of the climate crisis on healthcare.

The overarching aim of teaching is always to develop an open mindset, driven by curiosity and reinforced by scientific evidence. Training and examination for ethically reflective action, in the sense of justice and sustainability, are central components of the objectives. Teaching programmes combine theory and practice and focus on multi-professional collaboration.

In the area of teaching, particular attention is paid to the implementation of digital teaching and the best possible design for students in terms of blended learning programmes. The following courses are part of this:

• Preclinical work in the model degree programme in medicine
• Scientific work in the model degree programme in medicine
• Problem-based learning in the model degree programme in Medicine
• Certificate programme and track "Digital Health"
• "Human-animal relationship" in the Studium fundamentale programme
• "Value orientation in times of the climate crisis - professional ethics for healthcare professions" in the Studium fundamentale programme

Memberships:

• German Network for Health Care Research e.V.; member of the Digital Health working group
• German Society for Palliative Medicine; spokesperson for the digitalisation working group, member of the research working group
• Academy for Ethics in Medicine; member of the working group on health and digitalisation

Awards:

• 1st Humboldtⁿ Award for Sustainability Projects in Research, Teaching and Transfer of the NRW Universities for the lecture series "Digital Medicine goes Planetary Health" (12/2023)
• Heinz-Pichlmaier Prize: Research prize of the Endlich. Palliativ & Hospiz im Dr. Mildred Scheel Haus UK Köln e.V. and the Centre for Palliative Medicine at Cologne University Hospital for the publication "Planning for Implementation Success of an Electronic Cross-Facility Health Record for Pediatric Palliative Care Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)" (04/2023)
• 1st place Science Slam; 20th German Congress for Health Care Research (10/2021)