Digital Healthcare Community Board

The Digital Healthcare Board is committed to organising the activities, maintaining an up-to-date community, and continuously finding ways to meet our members’ needs and thus improving our community. Please let us introduce our members!

Rosa Verhoeven – Chair
My name is Rosa Verhoeven, I am the chair of this Digital Healthcare Community. Together with my team, my aim is to provide you with the most interesting talks and enjoyable activities on the topic of digital healthcare! In my role as PhD candidate at the department of Pediatric Surgery and Neonatology I explore the value of Artificial Intelligence for the prediction of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm babies and for support in complex medical decision making.

Wieke Bouwes – Presentation Organizer
In the role of Presentation Organizer, I am responsible for planning seminars and inviting speakers within our theme of digital healthcare. With a background in Business Administration (MSc in Health and Supply Chain Management) and Philosophy, my main interests lie in the implementation of digital healthcare and the associated ethical considerations.
As a PhD candidate and junior teacher in eHealth, my research focuses on finding effective ways to support patients who face challenges in using eHealth, aiming to reduce inequalities in access to these technologies. I look forward to connecting with and learning from others in the theme during our events!

Steff Groefsema – AI Expert
At the start of my bachelor, a lot of people didn't know what Artificial Intelligence was. Since then, a lot of applications have found their way into society already. However, a lot is still unclear for most people not working in the field of AI.
After finishing my masters in AI, I started an interdisciplinary PhD project. The goal of the project, is to identify possible ethical concerns, related to the deployment of AI in a simulated clinical workflow. Once we have identified such concerns, we can try different mitigation strategies. One possible way to communicate to the user is to provide a level of certainty. With my background in AI, I want to help to bridge the gap between the theory of AI, and its applications in healthcare. I am looking forward to meeting you all, and have fruitful discussions about the potential applications of AI in healthcare!

Patrícia Ferreira – Communication Officer
My name is Patricia Pita Ferreira, and I am a Portuguese medical doctor and a specialist in Public Health. Currently, I am a PhD candidate at the ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands (ELSA-NN), part of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and integrated into the Data Science Center in Health (DASH). ELSA-NN is a consortium that focuses on the ethical, legal and social aspects of AI in healthcare. This new role allows me to combine my experience in public health with AI research, contributing to innovations that promote equity, public health and well-being. I am the new Communication Officer for the Digital Healthcare Community Jantina Tammes School, where I am focused on fostering connections among all the members of the Community.

Tanja de Vries – Networking Officer
Hi! I am a data scientist at the Data Science Center in Health (DASH) of the UMCG. Within the board of the Digital Healthcare community I am the networking officer, which means I take care of the networking opportunities during our activities. Additionally, I want to get to know the members of our community to make sure we do our best to organize events that align with your wishes. Feel free to send me a message to drink a (digital) cup of tea together!

Gibson Ugwu – Secretary
Experienced Statistician and Data Scientist specializing in Time Series Modeling and Machine Learning. Currently advancing the field of Epidemiology through AI modeling as a PhD candidate at the University of Groningen, with a focus on patient outcome research. Brings seven years of university-level teaching experience in statistics, bridging the gap between complex analytical concepts and practical applications. Serves as Secretary of the Digital Healthcare Board, overseeing database management for the group.

Jitze de Wilde – GenAI expert
I am an experienced teacher and educationalist, and I’m passionate about learning, education, and the ways we can improve learning. I pioneer in the field of educational technology. At the UMCG, I’m tasked with preparing us to use these exciting new technologies that are rapidly approaching our schools and classrooms. I am also an entrepreneur, building educational applications. Based on this skill set and experience, I advise on the use of educational technology and provide training in the use and application of large language models.

Akshay Biere – GenAI expert
I’m excited to join the Digital Healthcare Community as a GenAI expert. I work as an Application Specialist in the IM Zorg department at UMCG, where I focus on implementing Generative AI (LLMs) into our Electronic Health Record systems. Our goal is to reduce the administrative burden on healthcare professionals. Through my work, I’ve had the opportunity to engage with many professionals, and I’ve seen how much interest there is in better understanding what GenAI can achieve. I look forward to collaborating with fellow members to enhance our knowledge and further our understanding of GenAI's potential.