Smart Health
The Smart Health Research Group focuses on issues relating to health promotion and personalised care through applied research at the intersection of health and well-being. We do this together with citizens, clients, patients and professionals from the field.
Our expertise
Social and technological innovation
We use our research to work on social and technological innovations.
The cutting edge of health and well-being
Our applied research is at the cutting edge of health and well-being.
Interprofessional collaboration and cooperation with citizens
We work together with professionals from practice as well as citizens, clients and patients.
Our Focus
Our Smart Health research group focuses on health promotion and personalised care supported by technological and data-driven solutions. This enables the research group to contribute to facilitating appropriate care, reducing socio-economic health inequalities and the development of future-proof healthcare professionals. We do this work based on three core tasks.
Health promotion in the local community
We strive to improve health in the local community by strengthening the position of those who are most vulnerable including looking at their physical and social environment. We focus on lifestyle, mental health, loneliness, stress and resilience. This theme finds itself at the intersection of health, well-being and the spatial domain and is supported by data-driven action.
Health promotion in healthcare
We work on health promotion by strengthening leadership among healthcare professionals in supporting sports and exercise among clients. The theme focuses on the interaction between healthcare professionals and clients along with interprofessional cooperation. This makes use of data-driven decision support while taking into account the complexity of behavioural change.
Personalised care
We are working on improving personalised care for home-living clients with a chronic condition by strengthening collaborations between professionals and citizens. Our focus is on well-being, good health, quality of dying and reducing inequality. Data is used to support the interaction between clients and healthcare professionals. This takes place against the backdrop of a lack of professionals and informal caregivers.
Specialist tasks
The specialist task Podiatry makes a recognised contribution to the further development of the professional field and the profiling of podiatry in the Netherlands. We work together on innovations and substantiation of podiatric practice. The focus is on the development of value-driven podiatric prevention and care. The needs and available options of both client and podiatrist are key. Our work is based on a national collaboration between the Podiatry study programmes at Saxion and Fontys and the Dutch Professional Association of Podiatrists (NVvP).
Our focus is on increasing leadership among professionals using the Best Practice Unit (BPU) method and having a broad perspective on health. We want to bring about desired lifestyle changes and improve health and well-being among patients in the Twente region from a Positive Health perspective. The L.INT Positive Health, Lifestyle and Leadership Research Group is a collaboration between the Smart Health Research Group and Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST).
Students, researchers, citizens and professionals work together in our living labs to create a more inclusive and healthy society.
How can we work together?
We work together with partners in the field, companies, social organisations in the healthcare, welfare and local government domain, with students and citizens. We set up and implement joint projects. Would you like to start a research project with us? Get in touch and we can explore goals, research ideas, and funding opportunities together.
Exchanging and sharing knowledge is important to us. Does your organisation or company focus on one of our research themes? We would like to cooperate so we can share our knowledge at meetings, workshops, events or in a network.
Together with our partners, we ensure the development, evaluation and implementation of research, products and services for professional practice, education and science. We are happy to discuss possible cooperation.
Let's look for a solution together
Forms of collaboration and quality assuranceOur researchers
Karin Dijkstra
Lector Gezondheidsbevordering in de Leefomgeving
Gitte Kloek
Lector Health improvement in healthcare
Sandra van Hogen-Koster
Lector Positive health, lifestyle and leadership
Marloes Tenten - Diepenmaat
Professor of Podiatry
André Bieleman
Associate lector health improvement in health care
Noortje Rijken
Associate lector data driven acting in de health improvement
Marsha Bisschop
Head lecturer/theme expert research
Digna van de Bovenkamp - De Kam
Lecturer/researcher
Rick Burggraaf
Juniorresearcher Innovation in health and care
Femke Dijkstra
Lecturer/researcher
Remco Ebben
Senior researcher Data driven Nursing Care
Monique Filart
Head lecturer/theme expert research
Miranda Hanskamp
Employee education and research
Danique Hofstee
Lecturer/PhD-candidate
Elke ter Huurne
Head lecturer/researcher
Lucienne Jonker
Project support
Yvonne Kerkhof
Post-doc researcher
Nicole Ketelaar
Programme manager HealthTech in Society
Sara Laurijssen
Theme expert research
Joyce Liebrand - Schurink
Head lecturer/theme expert research
Judith Matser
Management assistent
Helen Meijrink
Lecturer
Annet Olde Wolsink-van Harlingen
Head lecturer/researcher
Davy Paap
Theme expert research
Marlies Pepers
Lecturer/theme expert research
Suzanne Rosink
Project support
Sarah Ros-Philipsen
Head lecturer/researcher and Professional Doctorate (PD)-candidate Health & Care
Jolan Schreuder
Lecurer/PhD-candidate
Marianne Six-Dijkstra
Lecturer/researcher
Sonja van der Sluis
Lecturer/researcher
Rudi Steenbruggen
Head lecturer/theme expert research
Femke van Stratum
Communication advisor and copywriter
Ilse Tempelman
Teamlead Research
Ingrid van Zuilekom
Head lecturer/theme expert research
Cooperation research group, professional field and education
The research group contributes to an up-to-date curriculum with and thanks to research. Education and the professional field are also clients who can provide research questions.
Related study programmes
The research group is directly involved in the following programmes:
Related research groups
Focus Area Health, Well-being and Technology
The Smart Health Research Group is part of the Health, Well-being and Technology focus area. The research group works in this focus area together with the Technology, Health & Care and Social Work research groups and with citizens on issues in the field of health and well-being. Technology is key to finding solutions. This enables us to contribute to personal, effective and efficient care and support.