Justine Vanbavinckhove

Profile

Justine obtained her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology at Ghent University in July 2022. During her studies and internship at a multidisciplinary pain center she became deeply interested in topics within the field of Health Psychology, particularly psychosocial influences on chronic pain and its broader impact on physical and mental wellbeing. Justine wrote her master’s thesis under supervision of Prof. Dr. Liesbet Goubert at the department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology. This project focused on public stigma in the context of chronic pain and related gender differences. She increasingly gained more devotion and satisfaction during the writing of her master’s thesis, which stimulated her into further research.

In October 2022, Justine joined the Ghent Health Psychology Lab as a PhD student. Her doctoral research, supervised by her promotor Prof. Dr. Liesbet Goubert and co-promotors Prof. Dr. Peter Pype and Dr. Melissa Ceuterick, investigates opioid-related structural stigma in chronic pain management through an interdisciplinary perspective. More specifically, current project aims to conceptualize the opioid problem and investigate the role of opioid-related stigma and its impact on patients, providers and pain management in general. The broader objective is to revise guidelines regarding opioid use in clinical settings in Belgium (Flanders). Further, there will be a close collaboration with Dr. Fleur Baert.

Interests

• Health Psychology
• Chronic pain
• Stigma
• Opioid medication