Biography

Main focus

Research coordinator: oncology in primary care - research projects;

Early diagnosis;

• Dickens: duration of the cancer diagnostic pathway & potential to improve
• Dickens II: Impact of COVID on the diagnostic pathway for cancer 
• ABE: case finding of increased cancer risk - ovarian cancer
• Risk perception and policy among GPs in different stages of their career

Shared decision making (SDM)

• GRIP - the effects of SDM support by GPs after a cancer diagnosis
• Choose Wisely -  optimal shared decision making support by the GP
• Meaningful choice - role of the GP in hospital choice 

Structured primary care guidance during and after treatment

• GRIP I (RCT) - Effects of strutured primary care guidance during cancer treatment
• GRIP II - Optimal implementation of strutured primary care guidance during cancer treatment
• Blanket (RCT) - Effects of treatment of fear of cancer recurrence in primary care

Lecturer at GP-specialty training and Utrecht University 

• Evidence Based Medicine in clinical pratice
• Primary care oncology
• Teach the teachrer programs

Background

• MD: with a background in General practice (AIOTHO)
• PhD: casefinding strategies for hepatitis C infection
• MSc: Clinical Epidemiology

Biographical Sketch

Charles Helsper was born on the 9th of March 1980 in Pullman Washington (USA). After graduating from the Atheneum at the ‘Bisschop Bekkers College’ in Eindhoven and the first year of Health Sciences at Maastricht University, he studied Medicine at Utrecht University. During these studies he developed an interest for both the practice and research of primary care and prevention.

To put this interest into practice he combined the GP-specialty training with a PhD programme at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care at the Utrecht Medical Center. His PhD programme addressed identification strategies for hepatitis C infection from a primary care point of view.

During this combined programme he also successfully finished a Prestige Master in Epidemiology, worked as a lecturer at the GP specialty training, at Utrecht University and as an invited lecturer at the Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice at Bond University (Australia).

Currently he is working as a senior researcher at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, with a focus on cancer in primary care. In addition, he works at the Utrecht GP specialty training and Utrecht University, with a main focus on improving the use and education of scientific evidence in primary care practice.