Rate My Professor Ellen Smets

Ellen Smets is Full Professor of Medical Psychology at Amsterdam UMC, with affiliations to the University of Amsterdam and involvement in Amsterdam Public Health (APH) programs on Personalized Medicine and Quality of Care. She holds the position of Principal Investigator and co-leads the APH Quality of Care research program alongside Prof. Dr. Ruth van Nispen. Smets coordinates the Medical Communication research line within the Department of Medical Psychology at Amsterdam UMC. She has been affiliated with Amsterdam UMC, previously known as AMC-UvA, since 1992, serving as principal investigator for Medical Communication research since 2007. In 2014, she was appointed professor of Medical Communication at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Medicine.

Her research specializes in medical communication across three key areas. First, general medical communication, emphasizing the exchange of information and decision-making, with a particular focus on communicating uncertainty, especially in oncology contexts. Relevant patient-reported outcomes encompass patients' understanding and recall of information, satisfaction with the decision-making process, and trust in healthcare providers. Second, communication in clinical genetics and genomics, concentrating on information exchange and decision-making concerning genetically determined health risks for individuals and their offspring. Third, training in medical communication, which addresses evidence-based teaching and assessment of communication skills and professional behavior for medical students and specialists. Smets has undertaken visiting researcher positions at Akershus University Hospital and the University of Oslo from July to October 2021. She serves on the programme committee for the EACH Summer school. Recent publications include 'First the relationship, then the technology: Healthcare professionals' perceptions on how digital health solutions impact the interaction with patients' (2026), 'Are we Only Doing Good? Long-term Psychosocial Effects of Fertility Preservation (or Lack Thereof) on Survivors of Cancer During Adolescence and Young Adulthood' (2025), 'Clinicians' tolerance for uncertainty and communication about uncertainty with older adults - a standardized patient assessment study' (2025), 'Clinicians’ use of metaphoric language in conversations with families of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit' (2025), and 'Deciding on genetic testing for familial dementia: Perspectives of patients and families' (2025).