Centre of Expertise Health Innovation
Social and technological innovations for a vital and resilient environmentHow do we make sure that children in a wheelchair can play sports? What do elderly people need to live independently? How can we help people recover faster after a medical treatment?
The Health Innovation Centre of Expertise is researching these and other complex issues around the themes of 'Prevention through nutrition and exercise', ‘Inclusive exercise and sport’ and ‘Long-term care, housing and welfare’.
Social and technological aspects
With over 80 staff members, the Centre of Expertise contributes to a vital and sustainable life for everyone, in the broadest definition of the word. In the nine participating research groups, professors, (lecturer) researchers and students work together with professionals, companies and end users. Using these various perspectives (social, design, engineering), our research is mainly focussed on the use of socio-technological innovations. Socio-technological because we believe that technology is never isolated from the social aspect.
To initiate change, you need to take into account the person behind the issue. E-health or healthcare technology is here to stay, creating new opportunities. However, technological capabilities don't automatically result in a better quality of life. Social contacts and participation in society also play an important role here. We include all these perspectives in our approach of complex health and inclusion issues, making the best use of our knowledge and expertise.
Practice-oriented
A practical focus is always part of our research. We work together with residents, students, local (sports) organisations and businesses to find solutions to real questions and provide advice or offer solutions can be directly put into practice. By implementing the knowledge and expertise acquired in education, we train the real professionals of the future. We sometimes do this in so-called living labs. These are places at companies or in neighbourhoods where we can fully release the creative energy of researchers, students and stakeholders in an informal setting. We distinguish ourselves by listening carefully, always testing our findings against real life and actually implementing the solutions found.
Research groups
Projects
Fighting childhood obesity together (Leer-Kracht Preventie in de Wijk)
In some of The Hague's districts, there are relatively many overweight children and young people. So far, professionals are only partially succeeding in helping this target group. The Hague University of Applied Sciences, LUMC Campus The Hague and ROC Mondriaan join forces with Haaglanden Municipal Health Service, Stichting Lijn 1 Den Haag, ZWconnect and Xtra Welzijn to develop a unique, cross-domain refresher course for professionals on 'prevention and management of overweight and obesity in children up to 12 years of age'.
Assistive technology for longer independent living (AW Technology for Home)
Assistive devices are of great importance in supporting and improving the users' independence, quality of life and participation in society. With the right aids, people who experience limitations in daily life can also live independently at home for longer. They are also needed to meet the growing demand for care. By using aids, a lot of care can take place in the home situation. The Academic Workshop: Technology for Home* will conduct research that will help to use aids intelligently and effectively in the home situation.
Robot vacuum cleaners in home care
The workload in home care is high and technological innovations, such as a robot vacuum cleaner, can make a valuable contribution to reducing that workload and the amount of work done by home helpers, among other things. Not enough research has been done on the use of robot vacuum cleaners to be able to say this with certainty. Therefore, in April 2022, a large-scale pilot project was started in the municipalities of Amsterdam and The Hague, in collaboration with the care providers Axxicom Thuishulp, Cordaan Thuisdiensten (both part of Incluzio) and Tzorg, to measure the effect of a robot vacuum cleaner within the Household Help (HbH) domain. During this pilot, 100 robot vacuum cleaners will be used for a year at clients' houses in the municipalities of Amsterdam and The Hague.
Play-friendly cities
More and more children in the Netherlands are overweight, don't exercise enough and have poor motor skills. For children to become healthy and fit adults, it is important to encourage them to exercise more. One way to achieve this is to better facilitate outdoor play. Playing outdoors not only has a positive effect on physical and mental health, but also on motor, cognitive and social skills.
Staying active after physiotherapy (BiBoZ Practical Study)
Everyone knows that exercise is healthy and important. Yet it is difficult to get and stay active. For example, care professionals see that despite their efforts, more than half the clients relapse into unhealthy exercise behaviour within a year. That is why Leiden University of Applied Sciences, The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences have developed the BiBoZ method. The research is led by THUAS’ Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment research group.
Project City & Co
Maintaining vitality with innovative technology (Medical Delta Living Lab VIT for life)
Innovations in sport and exercise in the SportLab
A healthy lifestyle for cancer patients (Medical Delta Living Lab Better In Better Out)
People with cancer recover faster if they are in better shape at the start of their treatment. Being fit goes hand-in-hand with a healthy lifestyle: a healthy diet and enough exercise. Both technology and a good partnership between patient and care professional can support someone in learning and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But what application works best for whom? How can care professionals best work together with patients? The Oncological Care Research Group is involved in the Medical Delta Living Lab Better In Better Out to conduct a series of research on this.
A healthier THUAS (Healthy@HHS)
Living Lab Social Domain and Technology
Exercise-friendly Zuiderpark
Vitality and health from young to old (Vitale Delta)
Home rehabilitation for the elderly (Medical Delta Living Lab Geriatric Rehabilitation@home)
Research Group Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment
Article
Differences in motor competence, enjoyment and weight status of young children (4-6 years)
Article
The Participant Journey Map: Understanding the Design of Interactive Augmented Play Spaces
Article
Agreement Between the KTK3+ Test and the Athletic Skills Track for Classifying the Fundamental Movement Skills Proficiency of 6- to 12-Year-Old Children
Research Group Impact of Sport
Article
The effects of neighbours on sport club membership
Report
What role can men play in facilitating gender equity in Football Governance?
Research Group Technology for Health Care
Article
Building an alternative conceptualization of participation: from shared decision-making to acting and work
Article
Biomimetic Approaches for the Design and Fabrication of Bone-to-Soft Tissue Interfaces
Paper
Designing a face mask with a high level of filtration
Article
“I Stood By and Watched”: An Autoethnography of Stakeholder Participation in a Living Lab
Research Group Urban Ageing
Special issue
Special Issue about Age-friendly Cities published
Article
Biomimetic Approaches for the Design and Fabrication of Bone-to-Soft Tissue Interfaces
Sara Panahkhahi (research group Technology for Health, THUAS) is one of the authors.
Read the article.
Special issue
Special Issue about Age-friendly Cities published
In February 2021, a Feature Paper Special Issue entitled "Age-Friendly Cities & Communities: State of the Art and Future Perspectives" was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This special issue features 30 contemporary contributions which relate to the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities initiative launched by the World Health Organization in 2007.
The key focus of this Special Issue is to provide a critical assessment and overview of the state of the art within the Age-friendly Cities arena. Published papers include an editorial, seven papers focusing on age-friendly neighbourhoods, cities, communities, and societies, three papers explore innovative approaches to housing, two papers concentrate on age-friendly transportation, four papers focus on innovative practices in the domain of cure and/or care for older citizens, four papers relate to respect and social inclusion, and nine papers focus on and consider the use and implementation of technology in an age-friendly city or community.
As a take home message, the guest editors, Prof Joost van Hoof (The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences) and Dr Hannah R. Marston (The Open University, Milton Keynes) would like to emphasize the need for greater collaboration between disciplines in order to create a truly multisectoral actions for making our cities age-friendly for all generations. The contents of this Special Issue is one of the ways to expand and disseminate knowledge and to facilitate the actual age-friendly agenda and narrative further.
All papers are published as open access papers, which means that they can be read and downloaded free of charge. Direct access to the special issue: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/Age_Friendly_Cities
All papers are also available in book form: https://www.mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/4127
Team
dr. Sanne de Vries
Director Centre of Expertise Health Innovation
dr. Bregje Thomassen
Programme Coordinator
Yvonne van Giessen
dr. Monique Berger
Liset Schrijvers
Luc de Witte
Melle van Dilgt
dr hab. ir. Joost van Hoof Eur Ing
Professor Urban Ageing
Ester de Jonge
Assia Kraan
Laura de Kubber
dr. Jorit Meesters
Wendy Scholtes-Bos
dr. Joost van der Sijp MD
Professor Oncological Care
dr. Lampros Stergioulas
Professor Data Science
dr. Yvonne van Zaalen
Professor Relational Care
Director Centre of Expertise Health Innovation
dr. Sanne de Vries
Sanne graduated with a degree in Human Movement Sciences and Epidemiology from the VU University Amsterdam. From 2000 to 2013, she worked as a researcher and project leader at TNO. Sanne earned her PhD from the VU University Amsterdam in 2009 in Social Medicine with a thesis entitled 'Activity-friendly neighbourhoods for children'. Sanne has been involved in more than 75 research projects involving young people, movement and health and has published more than 200 scientific reports. Her primary focus is on the role of the physical environment in movement behaviour, physical education and ‘nudging’, as well as the assessment of physical activity in young people.
06 - 46 87 68 52s.i.devries@hhs.nl
Programme Coordinator
dr. Bregje Thomassen
dr. Monique Berger
Monique Berger graduated from VU Amsterdam with a degree in Human Kinetic Sciences. From 1993, Monique has held various positions within the Human Kinetic Technology degree programme and worked as a senior researcher at the Rehabilitation Research Group. From this degree programme, she shaped the research in the Human Kinetic Technology Centre of Expertise. Many of these projects are aimed at adapted sports and wheelchair sports in particular. These projects include partnerships with TU Delft, the faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences of VU Amsterdam, UMCG Groningen, NOC*NSF, the Dutch Basketball Federation, the Sports and Exercise Centre of Expertise, the City of The Hague and various rehabilitation centres, in particular Basalt Revalidatie, which insures excellent cooperation with other parties.
Liset Schrijvers
In 2020 heeft Liset Schrijvers de overstap gemaakt van het lectoraat Gezonde Leefstijl in een Stimulerende Omgeving (GLSO) naar het lectoraat Impact of Sport. Vanuit het lectoraat GLSO heeft Liset Schrijvers geparticipeerd in het Landelijk Evaluatieonderzoek Buurtsportcoaches, uitgevoerd door het Mulier Instituut en alle acht opleidingen Sportkunde in Nederland. Dat onderzoek heeft haar interesse in de buurtsportcoach laten toenemen met als gevolg haar ambitie om een promotieonderzoek te doen rondom de buurtsportcoach. De achtergrond en ambitie van Liset passen echter beter bij de missie en visie van het lectoraat Impact of Sport, haar interesse en kwaliteit liggen met name bij kwalitatief onderzoek naar sportief-maatschappelijke thema’s. Liset houdt zich binnen het lectoraat bezig met onderzoek naar en onderwijs voor de buurtsportcoach.
Luc de Witte
Luc de Witte is a professor of Technology for Healthcare at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Until the end of 2021 he was a Chair in Health Services Research within the Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH) at the University of Sheffield.
Originally trained as a medical doctor, Luc has always worked on practice oriented research in the field of rehabilitation and long term care, including elderly care, care for people with mental or physical disabilities and care for people with chronic diseases. Earlier in his career he was Professor of Technology in Care at Maastricht University and Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and in the Netherlands, and director of an innovation centre (EIZT) connecting about 35 partners in healthcare, industry and academia. He also chaired the national Centre for Care Technology Research (CCTR) in the Netherlands.
Luc has been involved in a large number of research and development projects. They all had a practice oriented character and aimed to generate knowledge to support care practice and policy. Main themes in his research are: assistive technology service delivery, development and evaluation of e-health applications, care robotics, technology-supported care innovations for low resource settings. His work is largely international. Luc has successfully supervised 35 PhD students and co-authored over 300 publications in international journals.
Additional functions Luc de Witte
- President of the Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organisations (GAATO)
- Active member of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE)
l.p.dewitte@hhs.nl
Melle van Dilgt
Professor Urban Ageing
dr hab. ir. Joost van Hoof Eur Ing
Joost van Hoof (1980) attained his MSc degree at Eindhoven University of Technology (Department of Architecture, Building and Physics). He also studied Environmental Engineering at the Czech Technical University (ČVUT) in Prague. Prof van Hoof attained his doctoral degree from Eindhoven University of Technology (in cooperation with Utrecht University of Applied Sciences and the Academy of Healthcare Utrecht) with a dissertation on ageing-in-place for people with dementia in 2010. From 2011 to 2018 he was affiliated with the Centre for Healthcare & Technology of Fontys University of Applied Sciences, and served as the project leader of the Nursing Home of the Future Programme. From 2012 to 2013, Prof van Hoof worked with the ISSO – the Dutch Building Services Research Institute in Rotterdam in the field of healthy building services. Apart from several board memberships in the domain of older people, technology and housing, Prof van Hoof collaborates and is affiliated with several universities abroad. Key to his work is a focus on the abilities of older people, not their disabilities, even when participations seems difficult.
j.vanhoof@hhs.nlEster de Jonge
Assia Kraan
dr. Jorit Meesters
Professor Oncological Care
dr. Joost van der Sijp MD
Additional positions
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Oncological surgeon at the Haaglanden Medical Centre
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Member of the Netherlands Association of Surgeons (NVvH)
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Member of the Editorial Board of the Netherlands Journal of Palliative Care (Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Palliatieve Zorg)
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Member of the Steering Committee of the European Early Lung Cancer Detection Group, Rotterdam
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Member of the Surgical Task Force of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) – ESS
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Advisor for the Stichting Florin Payments
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Consultant at Johnson&Johnson
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Member of the Advisory Board of the Federation of Medical Specialists
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Owner of Foonco BV consultancy in healthcare
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Owner of Florine-care
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Owner of Lucynia BV “Let food be the medicine“
j.r.m.vandersijp@hhs.nl
Professor Data Science
dr. Lampros Stergioulas
Lampros Stergioulas is also active for the European Commission as an expert in the field of artificial intelligence, data science and research ethics, and a member of the AI4People committee. In various programmes sponsored by the European Union and EU member states, he acts as an expert evaluator.
Lampros studied informatics and physics at the National University of Athens and received a Masters’ and a PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Liverpool (UK).
He has published more than 200 scientific publications and supervised and evaluated numerous PhD theses in the field of data science, computer science, health informatics, data-driven social innovation, modelling and simulation and intelligent systems.
He was principal researcher in more than 30 EU projects and coordinator of 4 EU research projects in which he cooperated with public organizations such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC), the European Medicine Agency (EMA), the European Commission, the National Health Service (UK) as well as national and regional authorities within Europe.
Lampros’s research interests span the areas of applied AI, data science and analytics, health informatics, data-driven management and innovation, system modelling and simulation, as well as data ethics. Through this he endeavors to achieve real-world impact in the areas of healthcare, wellbeing and sustainability.
“Our mission is to apply scientific expertise to solve real-world problems using data, to support decision and policy making and transform lives and communities for the better and to help both private and public sectors innovate and grow using data science and AI."
Professor Relational Care
dr. Yvonne van Zaalen
y.vanzaalen@hhs.nl
