UTFacultiesEEMCSNewsZGT medical specialist appointed endowed professor at University of Twente

ZGT medical specialist appointed endowed professor at University of Twente

Goos Laverman (1972) has been appointed Endowed Professor of Personalised Technology in Internal Medicine at the University of Twente, a post within its Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science faculty and Technical Medical Centre.

The professorship is funded by the Ziekenhuisgroep Twente (ZGT, Almelo/Hengelo), where Professor Laverman is an internist focusing on kidney disease and diabetes. His work is directed towards improving the treatment of people with diabetes or chronic kidney disease, through innovative technologies such as daily-life monitoring. A diabetes specialisation for clinical technologists will also be developed.

For Nico Verdonschot, scientific director of the Technical Medical Centre, the appointment of this medical specialist by the University of Twente is a good example of how the university collaborates in a clinical network, of which the ZGT is also a partner. Intensive cooperation between medical professionals and researchers is of great importance to actually achieving impact in healthcare, one of the aims of the University of Twente.

Diabetes treatment is an important focal point within the ZGT. The appointment of a professor is the logical consequence of many years of collaboration between the ZGT and the University of Twente in research into diabetes mellitus, also partnering with UMCG. For instance, they have worked together to develop the DIAMETER app, an intelligent coaching system for people with diabetes, which helps them adopt a healthier lifestyle. There is also a large-scale, long-term research study, Diabetes and Lifestyle Cohort Twente (DIALECT), that uses smart measurements to yield a wealth of knowledge about the relationship between lifestyle and diabetes. “Daily-life measuring and monitoring is going to make hospital car parks a lot emptier in the future,” says Goos Laverman.

Professor Laverman studied medicine at the University of Groningen and UMCG. He trained as an internist at the Martini Ziekenhuis, Medical Centre Leeuwarden, and the Mario Negri Instituut in Bergamo.

drs. M.M.J. van Hillegersberg - Hofmans (Martine)
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