Centre of Expertise Health innovation

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.

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As a management and organisation research scientist, Frank van Eekeren has spent over 20 years investigating the social significance of sport in relation with the organisation of sport. In his PhD dissertation De Waardenvolle Club (the valuable club), he describes an ideal sports organisation that creates public value in addition to value creation in the nexus of sport and business. He conducts research in and around the field of sports, both locally and internationally, and publishes in journals, sports publications and blogs. Frank is also employed as Associate Professor at Utrecht University School of Governance.

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.

Joost has been working as a surgeon since 1993. He did his residency at St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein and the University Medical Centre Utrecht and his doctoral research was conducted over the course of a year at St. Mark’s Hospital in London. After completing his residency, he worked at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Daniël den Hoed Clinic in Rotterdam and the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam. He has been an oncological surgeon at the Haaglanden Medisch Centrum since 2005. His interest and expertise lie primarily in breast cancer and oncological surgery of the gastrointestinal tract. Joost holds several administrative positions both within and outside of the hospital and is a member of various advisory panels related to oncological care.

Erwin studied Mechanical Engineering at the TU Delft, where he then worked for twelve years as a researcher and professor of Biomechanics and Biorobotics. He has also worked in the Rehabilitation Medicine unit at the Leiden University Medical Centre. Erwin earned his PhD with a thesis on human-machine interaction and a study of the role played by proprioception (human movement sensors) during different movement tasks. A passion for robotics and the resemblance to the human musculoskeletal system prompted him to develop devices and products based on the perspective of human-machine interaction. He was appointed head of the Technology for Health research group at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in September 2015.