In a joint effort: where diverse perspectives meet in musculoskeletal health

Meaningful progress in musculoskeletal health is rarely achieved in isolation. True innovation arises where disciplines intersect – when technical, clinical, and societal perspectives are brought together in a shared effort. This session, in Joint Effort, explores how collaboration across sectors leads to tangible improvements in care, research, and patient outcomes.

Through three real-world examples, we delve into initiatives that bridge laboratory science and clinical practice. These projects involve not only engineers and clinicians, but also ethicists, legal scholars, social scientists, and crucially, patients themselves. With the involvement of a patient voice, we examine the broader impact of these innovations and ask: how can patients be engaged as partners from the outset?

Each example illustrates how collaboration among academic institutions, applied universities, hospitals, and funding agencies contributes to both scientific progress and societal impact. By weaving together these different perspectives, this session highlights a key principle: innovation alone is not enough – alignment and collaboration are essential to drive the field forward.

Where & When

Time: 10.45 - 12.00
Language: English
Room: INNOVATION ROOM (TL 2148 | First floor)
Available seats: 50
Format: Live

The planning

Time	Content
10.45 - 10.50	Setting the scene An introduction by the moderator, linking today’s theme to earlier insights and setting the stage for the speakers to come. Harald Vonkeman, University of Twente & Medisch Spectrum Twente
10.50 - 11.05	Cartrevive hydrogel implant - from lab idea to clinical trial This presentation takes us through the history of the CartRevive hydrogel implant, from the initial idea to the first clinical trials. Along the way, we explore how a start-up company differs from a university, what other (business) factors come to play and - most importantly - the ultimate pay-off for the patient. Marcel Karperien, University of Twente & Leo Smit, Hy2Care
11.05 - 11.10	Discussion After each presentation, 2 patients - Marion Reinderink and Gijs Ornée - will share their reflections and engage in a discussion with the speaker and the audience.
11.10 - 11.25	Exhaled volatile organic compunts for diagnosis and monitoring Exhaled air can tell us a great deal about the presence and progression of diseases. In this presentation, we learn about so-called VOCs and how these can, and sometimes cannot, be applied in the field of rheumatology. Jorrit van Poelgeest, AmsterdamUMC & Manouk Vrielink, XpertiseZorg
11.25 - 11.30	Discussion After each presentation, 2 patients - Marion Reinderink and Gijs Ornée - will share their reflections and engage in a discussion with the speaker and the audience.
11.30 - 11.45	Social robots to communicate patient information Starting with the technological background and the implementation process of a social robot to communicate patient information, we will see how patients themselves view the presence of such a robot. Jan-Willem van 't Klooster, University of Twente & Afra Willems, Saxion University of Applied Sciences
11.45 - 11.50	Discussion After each presentation, 2 patients - Marion Reinderink and Gijs Ornée - will share their reflections and engage in a discussion with the speaker and the audience.
11.50 - 12.00	From insights to action: closing reflections Harald Vonkeman, University of Twente & Medisch Spectrum Twente