prof.dr. D.W. Donker MD (Dirk) My clinical, educational and research interests center around complex cardiovascular and respiratory care. In recent years, I focused on cardiac and pulmonary extracorporeal life support to optimize its clinical use and expand practice-relevant mechanistic insights. My affinity with echocardiography and an inspiring collaboration on patient-specific computer simulation through the years has greatly enlarged my comprehensive physiological understanding and contributes importantly to my work as a physician. I am actively involved in national and international scientific organizations in the field, collaborate with many dedicated clinicians, researchers and companies, authored many scientific publications and provided numerous presentations. All this, to foster professionals’ enthusiasm and strive to realize a continuing translation of technology, where it is most urgently needed: at the bedside of the individual patient.
Assistant professors
dr. E. Mos-Oppersma (Eline) My research focuses on regulation of breathing and noninvasive methods to assess lung mechanics and activity of respiratory muscles. An important tool is electromyography (EMG) of the respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm. Although noninvasive measurement of respiratory EMG, with surface electrodes attached on the skin, challenges data analysis due to movement artefacts and interference of activity from other muscles, it has the potential to be of high clinical value in daily monitoring of patients on the intensive care or during home mechanical ventilation. Other tools include pressure and flow monitoring and interventions in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. In all monitoring tools, I aim to study adequate acquisition, advanced analysis and clinical adaptation and interpretation of the data. All is focused at gaining more insight in the respiratory pump physiology, leading to better adaptation and weaning of patients from mechanical ventilation.
dr.ir. L. Fresiello (Libera) During my research career, I realized the complexity of developing and testing new cardiovascular therapies and of optimizing them to different pathophysiological conditions. Simulation can constitute a solution for these challenges, so I dedicate my energy to the realization of high fidelity cardiovascular simulators to expedite more effective and personalized therapeutic strategies to treat cardiovascular diseases. Simulators are also powerful tools to improve education in healthcare, by providing more effective teaching and training to medical and paramedical students. I strongly believe interdisciplinarity is a key factor for a successful research in cardiovascular modelling. I conduct my activity in strict collaboration with clinicians, covering several activities (clinical studies, in vivo studies, data collection and analysis), and then translate the acquired pathophysiological and clinical knowhow into simulators.
Associated stafF
dr. J.W. Potters MD (Jan-Willem) Anesthesiologist at Medisch Spectrum Twente - Department of Anesthesiology Research interest: Intra-operative haemodynamic management Contact: j.w.potters@utwente.nl
My clinical, educational and research interests center around complex cardiovascular and respiratory care. In recent years, I focused on cardiac and pulmonary extracorporeal life support to optimize its clinical use and expand practice-relevant mechanistic insights. My affinity with echocardiography and an inspiring collaboration on patient-specific computer simulation through the years has greatly enlarged my comprehensive physiological understanding and contributes importantly to my work as a physician.
My research focuses on regulation of breathing and noninvasive methods to assess lung mechanics and activity of respiratory muscles. An important tool is electromyography (EMG) of the respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm. Although noninvasive measurement of respiratory EMG, with surface electrodes attached on the skin, challenges data analysis due to movement artefacts and interference of activity from other muscles, it has the potential to be of high clinical value in daily monitoring of patients on the intensive care or during home mechanical ventilation. Other tools include pressure and flow monitoring and interventions in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. In all monitoring tools, I aim to study adequate acquisition, advanced analysis and clinical adaptation and interpretation of the data. All is focused at gaining more insight in the respiratory pump physiology, leading to better adaptation and weaning of patients from mechanical ventilation.
During my research career, I realized the complexity of developing and testing new cardiovascular therapies and of optimizing them to different pathophysiological conditions. Simulation can constitute a solution for these challenges, so I dedicate my energy to the realization of high fidelity cardiovascular simulators to expedite more effective and personalized therapeutic strategies to treat cardiovascular diseases. Simulators are also powerful tools to improve education in healthcare, by providing more effective teaching and training to medical and paramedical students. 
Anesthesiologist at Medisch Spectrum Twente - Department of Anesthesiology