The Twente Health School brings together a diverse group of speakers and contributors from the University of Twente and international partner institutions. The speakers represent a broad range of expertise across health, technology, ethics, data, and societal impact.
Through keynote lectures, workshops, and interactive sessions, they offer participants interdisciplinary perspectives on contemporary health challenges and emerging research directions.
KEYNOTE
Catherine M. Burns is Professor in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada and Associate Vice President, Health Initiatives at the Office of Research at the University of Waterloo.
In her past administrative roles she has been engaged with institutional and tri agency funding programs, research partnerships, Waterloo’s equity in research action plan, and research computing. Catherine was the founder of the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology at Waterloo and led the centre from a faculty to an institutional centre over 8 years.
In 2020 she chaired Waterloo’s Health Initiatives Task force to develop a health strategy in response to Waterloo’s 2025 Strategic Plan. In her role as AVP, Health Initiatives she is responsible for advancing Waterloo research in health and health technology.
Catherine holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Human Factors and Healthcare Systems, has contributed over 300 publications and is the co-author of seven books and the PI on an NSERC CREATE Training program in biomedical technology and entrepreneurship which has trained over 40 graduate students from various faculties across campus.
Speakers
Tom Boogerd works as a Policy Advisor Research within BMS Research Support at the University of Twente. He supports research policy development across a broad range of themes, with a strong focus on societal and academic impact, PhD delay, dropout and wellbeing, and contributions to UT-wide research policy initiatives. One day per week, he also serves as the UT-wide programme manager for the Recognition & Rewards programme.
In his work, Tom emphasises the importance of user-informed policy, ensuring that research policy is grounded in the experiences of researchers. In addition, he is actively involved in Th!nk with Pride, the University of Twente platform for LGBTQ+ staff and students.
Sofia Bastoni is a researcher at the University of Twente’s Department of Psychology, Health & Technology. Her work focuses on eHealth and wellbeing research, particularly on the design and implementation of digital health technologies supporting dementia care and informal caregivers.
Maryam Amir Haeri is a researcher at the University of Twente with a strong focus on health, ethics, and interdisciplinary research. She is the Chair of the Health Theme at the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), where she plays a key role in shaping and connecting health-related research across disciplines.
Her work centres on responsible health innovation, ethical reflection, and the integration of societal perspectives in health and technology research.
Jorge Piano Simoes is a researcher at the University of Twente who applies data science to large, longitudinal cohorts of tinnitus patients, with the aim of supporting optimal and personalised care. His work combines data science, neuroimaging, and clinical research, focusing on translating complex data into meaningful insights for health and healthcare.
Stéphanie Martine van den Berg is a Dutch professor of research methodology and data analytics at the University of Twente. She heads the Cognition, Data and Education (CODE) section within the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS). Her work integrates data science, psychology, and education to improve behavioral data analysis and measurement approaches.
Jan-Willem van ’t Klooster is Scientific Director of the BMS Faculty Innovation Lab and Associate Professor of Monitoring and Coaching Technologies at the University of Twente. As Scientific Director, he is responsible for the strategy, technical management, research, research and development, acquisition, and external representation of the BMS Innovation Lab.
The lab consists of approximately 25 state-of-the-art lab spaces, a world-class mobile lab, research software, data science, VR and web development capacity, more than 2,100 lendable items, advanced VR, neuroscience and physiological measurement facilities, and a broad portfolio of instruments supporting high-tech business, entrepreneurship education, and research.
In addition to his academic role, Jan-Willem serves as a member of the multidisciplinary Advisory Committee on Public Health Emergencies (ACPHE) under EU Regulation 2022/2371 on cross-border health threats. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of Samkin, the Advisory Board of the Future Learning Lab at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Chair of IHCI 2024, and a member of the Programme Committee of National XR Day 2024.
Lonneke Lenferink is Associate Professor at the University of Twente, Endowed Professor at the University of Groningen, and guest researcher at several international universities, including Utrecht University, Aarhus University, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Bergen. Her research focuses on the definition, assessment, prediction, and treatment of disturbed grief in bereaved adults and children.
Her work examines grief and distress following traumatic losses such as long-term disappearance, homicide, the MH17 plane disaster, traffic accidents, COVID-19, and war-related loss. She combines clinical research with real-world application, including the co-development of rouwbehandeling.nl, a platform providing evidence-based information on grief and its treatment for bereaved individuals.
Currently, her research centres on assessing and treating grief in daily life using ecological momentary assessment and intervention methods. Lonneke has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and is internationally recognised as one of the leading scholars in the field of prolonged grief disorder. Her work has been supported by major national funding bodies, including NWO, and in 2024 she received the KNAW Early Career Award.
Saana Jukola is a researcher at the University of Twente working on philosophical and ethical issues related to health, medicine, and technology. Her research highlights critical perspectives on knowledge, values, and responsibility in health research.
Yj Erden is a researcher at the University of Twente focusing on ethical, conceptual, and philosophical dimensions of health and technology. Her work explores questions of responsibility, values, and societal impact in health-related research and innovation.
She is the Chair of the BMS Ethical Committee, where she plays a key role in guiding ethical review processes and supporting responsible research practices within the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences.
Dr. Simone Borsci is a cognitive psychologist and human-factors researcher specializing in cognitive ergonomics, human–computer interaction, and technology assessment. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Twente’s Faculty of Behavioral, Management and Social Sciences and a leading figure in human-centered technology research in Europe.
Xavier Pouwels is a researcher in the Department of Health Technology and Services Research at the University of Twente. Prior to joining the department in 2020, he completed his doctoral research at Maastricht University Medical Centre+, where his PhD focused on Embracing Uncertainty in Health Technology Assessment.
His research interests include the use of simulation models to evaluate the value of new healthcare technologies and improving the transparency of these models. He is currently involved in research projects focusing on the early detection of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. In addition to his research, Xavier teaches the basic principles of early health economic evaluation in the Bachelor Health Sciences and Master Biomedical Engineering programmes.
Marissa van Maaren is a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Twente and external researcher at the Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL). She is involved in several clinical breast cancer studies such as the RT-HYPE and the NABOR study. She works a lot with cancer registry data and has particular interest in research methodologies such as prediction modelling.
Lieke Heesink is a researcher at the University of Twente affiliated with the Department of Technology, Policy and Society and the Health Technology & Services Research (HTSR) group. Her research focuses on the use of technology to support health and wellbeing, including work on virtual reality and digital interventions in healthcare contexts. Lieke’s work contributes to understanding how technological solutions can be evaluated and implemented to enhance care and patient outcomes.