The University of the North’s second roadshow focuses on making the shift from healthcare to positive health

On Wednesday 11 October, the University of the North is organizing its second roadshow of this year. This one will be all about the transition from healthcare to positive health. The focus will be on the NPG's (National Programme Groningen) Vitaal Groningen programme and AI in healthcare/the ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands. The afternoon will be, not surprisingly, held at the UMCG. Ate van der Zee, Chairman of the Board of Management of the UMCG, will welcome the attendees.

The Netherlands is ageing at a rapidly increasing rate. Our healthcare system will no longer be able to keep up with this in the long term, which is why a shift from healthcare to positive health is currently taking place. With a clear focus on prevention, we want to keep the population healthy—both physically and mentally— for as long as possible. This requires a new approach and a new way of thinking. The two topics covered in this roadshow are great examples of this.

NPG Vitaal Groningen programme

During this afternoon Nynke Scherpbier-de Haan, Professor of General Practice at the UMCG, will talk about the proposed NPG (National Programme Groningen) programme Vitaal Groningen (Vital Groningen). This programme focuses on a healthy lifestyle and living environment of the people of Groningen. The guiding principle is prevention when possible and care when necessary. Having a solid connection between the social domain and care is important in this respect. There are already several initiatives in place in the province that seek to achieve this. Vitaal Groningen wants to learn from these existing initiatives and, together with all stakeholders, invest in reinforcement and innovation based on local needs. The aim of Vitaal Groningen is to launch a movement in which citizens and healthcare professionals in the province will start noticing an increase in vitality. The UMCG and the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, which includes the UG, UMCG, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, are closely involved in this project.

AI in healthcare/ELSA AI LAB Northern Netherlands

AI in healthcare is on the rise. Yet, for many people, it still remains quite incomprehensible what AI can contribute to healthcare now and in the future. The ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands focuses on developing knowledge that is relevant for the responsible development and application of AI in healthcare. That afternoon, Mirjam Plantinga, Senior Researcher and Project Leader of the ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands, will discuss how the ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands aims to use its knowledge in order to promote reliable human-centred AI in healthcare. The initiative is a joint partnership between the UG, Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, the UMCG, and the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, among others.

Sign up

Interested parties can from now on sign up for this roadshow at the UMCG. The doors open at 2.30 pm and the programme starts at 3 p.m.. The event will be concluded with drinks at 4.15 p.m..

About the University of the North

The University of the North is an initiative by the UG, UMCG, Hanze UAS Groningen, NHL Stenden UAS, Van Hall Larenstein UAS, and vocational education institutions from the North. With the University of the North, the affiliated knowledge institutions aim to boost the broad prosperity in the Northern Netherlands and the transitions as formulated in the Knowlegde agenda This is achieved through making smart use of each other’s facilities, making each other’s teaching easily accessible, forming hybrid research groups, and stimulating entrepreneurship.