Spring
2009
Another busy Spring term....
- I am getting used to my new life in New York. In February,
Ted regained his title as national hardball squash champion. I
am impressed. With a colleague of NYU, I started art classes;
and we continue to go to the opera at the Lincoln Centre regularly.
If you are willing to sit near the rafters, tickets are only 15
to 25 dollars. Acoustics are fine, and bringing my bird watching
binoculars helps to see the stage well.
- I returned to New York University for the Community Health,
Health care and Health Politics course, one of the basic mandatory
courses in the health policy and management program of NYU.
- I also started a new course for the Nurse Leadership Program:
The Politics of Nurses. This course explores the policy environment
for nurses who are keen to better understand the world of health
care and health politics.
- Agreed with prof Will White in Ithaca, to come back this Fall
to teach anothet mini-course on International Comparison if Health
Politics. Staretd the course with showing the film Sicko of Michael
Moore to discuss the health care systems of different countries
including the United States.
- My research projects include the final editing of the "Four
Country book", now labeled Comparative Studies in Modern
Medicine" (but it may get another title) as well as the last
editing of the "Six Country book" that is also almost
ready for printing. I was lucky to find a good editing assistant
for this latter project. Nex, I intend to return to my interest
in ehalth manpower. I found a young medical student who is keen
to work with me on this project.
- Our summer plans include an extended visit to Europe )Amsaterdam,
Paris, to discuss possibilities for teaching in Europe next year.
- In September and October, I will visit Sikkim with my cousin
Sjoke from Amsterdam. We will work as volunteer teachers in a
primary school in a very poor part of the country. Another friend
of ours has been involved with this school for over a decade,
the Himalayan Academy (It has a nice website). We booked tickets
to fly to Kolkota (aka Calcutta), take the train to Darjeeing
and from there travel per jeep and buses. More about that later
...
2008
Busy year......
- During the Spring Semester of 2008, I returned to New York
Unievrsity to teach the basic course Community Health, Health
Care and Health Politics.
- Invited by prof Will White, I developed and taught a new mini-course
on International Comparison of Health Politics at Cornell University,
Ithaca.
- Rene McDonaldo invited me to ocme to Auburn, Alabama to give
several lectures: one to the Life Long learning group on current
health care issues in the US, one class at Auburn university;
one lecture for the Women's Leadership Institue and one for the
Democratic Causus about the 2008 Presidential Elections.
- Presenting a paper on the Dutch health care reforms of 2006
at the Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Social Insurance
(NASI--see website www.nasi.org). That paper will also appear
in a publication in 2009.
- Return to Montreal to give a lecture at McGill University for
students of an international program for health care managers
and policy-makers.
- As to research: with my co-editors Ted Marmor and Richard Freeman,
we almost finished the "Four Country"book, and sent
it to Yale University Press for the last round of editing. That
book will come out in 2009.
- With a group of 7 co-autors, and myself as main editor, we wrote
an article for the International Journal of Comparative Policy
Amnalysis about the health care reform experience in seven small
democracies: New Zealdn, Singapore, Taiwan, Switzerland, Israel,
Chile and The Netherlands (to be published in 2009).
- That contribution also was the base for a book chapter for another
publictaion. Next, we found a publisher in Singapore (World Scientific
Publishers) interested in turning the article into a book format.
Within one year, all our co-autors helped to extend their texts
into book chapter length, and with my co-editor of the book, Luca
Crivelli from Lugano, I finished writing the Introduction and
Conclusions. The unusual selection of countries led to interesting
findings: the countries have faced similar challenges in their
health care systems; they have discussed and considered similar
reform options but in the end, they each choose a very different
refrom pathway.
- In September, I went with husband Ted Marmor to Bellagio at
Lake Como in the north of Italy to spend a month at the splendid
resort of the Rockefeller Foudation, a sort of upscale hostel
for academics who need a quiet place for finishing art or writing
projects.
- The Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law published my
extended analysis of recent commentary on recent health care reforms
in The Netherlands.
September
2007
Working at several research projects...
- The book reviews of Frank and Glied's recent book on mental
health care in the US appeared in the Journal of Health Politics,
Policy and Law.
- Finished wriring two book chapters in our 'four country ' book,
one on recent change in Dutch health insurance, one international
comparative chapter on hospital care in the US, UK, Germany, Canada
and The Netherlands
- With Ted Marmor and Richard Freeman, the editing of the above
book, including the preface and introductory chaptyer
- An article for the Journal on Comparative Policy Analysis, analyzing
the recent health reform experience of seven small/midsized industrial
countries: New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, Israel, Switzerland,
Chile and The Netherlands (six countries usually "under the
radarscreen").
- Based on this artcile, a comparative book of those experiences.
to be published by World Scientific Publishers in Singapore (the
one that did a great job with Ted's last book).
- Star of research on the changing positions of health professionals
ion primary care: general internal medicine, family practitioners,
nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants; plans for several
publications.
June 2005
Projects, teaching and finishing my book...
As to my own activities this year: next week I'm off to Europe for
a 2 week cycling and camping trip somewhere in France. Then, back
to the US for extensive summer vacationing in Colorado and the Nort
West; then Fall this year, Ted and I will spend 4 months in Bremen,
at the Hanse Institut as a part of a international group of scholars
who do comparative work. We plan to finish our book over there, have
some other common projects, and all of us also have our own activities.
In between, I am teaching in Belgium at the Catholic University of
Leuven. That should keep me busy till the end of the year. I still
dont know whether I want to rent out or sell my appartment in Amsterdam.
February 2005
End of career opens way to new activities
around the globe
As of September 1, 2004, after working several agencies in Dutch government
for almost 30 years, Kieke Okma retired from her job. A special early
retirement scheme for elderly public servants (that is to say: anyone
over 55 years of age) designed to create room for careers of younger
government employees, allowed her to step down from her job as a senior
policy at the Ministry of Health that she had held for over 10 years.
That end of a long career in government opened the way to new activities
around the globe. Kieke expanded her international agenda, and now
spends more time in North America in
research, consultancy and writing acitvities while keeping close ties
with the academic world in Europe and elsewhere.
She will continue toteach at the Catholic University Leuven in Belgium
in a master's program on European Social Security, a program that
offers long distance learning to students from all over the world.
Based on ten years' experience as one of the initiators and leaders
of the annual so-called Four Country Conference that brings together
experts from
the US, Canada, Germany and The Netherlands, Kieke is now writing
and co-editing a book on comparative health policy together with Ted
Marmor of Yale University and Richard Freeman from Edinburgh.
Her ties with The Netherlands include writing articles for the leading
financial daily, Het Financieele Dagblad and other journals. And recently,
the European medical device industry asked her to participate in an
international advisory body on cost-effectiveness studies of medical
aids. In Canada, after spending a semester at the Centre for the Study
of Canada at McGill University in Fall 2004, she may return for further
teaching activities in an international health management course.
So formal retirement does not seem like
much non-activity to Kieke Okma. Her new life also includes all
the sports and activities she enjoys like reading, visiting the
opera, biking (another 2-week biking trip with her best friend Joan
in Holland ahead this summer), camping (the American Rockies and
North-West are part of this year's program),
sailing and spending time with friends around the world, drinking
tea or good wine.
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