TU Delft: Eight health professors receive double appointment simultaneously
Today, eight professors were simultaneously inaugurated as “Medical Delta professors” at Leiden University, LUMC, TU Delft, Erasmus University and/or Erasmus MC. With an appointment of two or more of these five academic institutions, they combine technology and healthcare in their professorships.
Medical Delta is a partnership between TU Delft, Erasmus MC, Erasmus University, LUMC and Leiden University and four universities of applied sciences in Zuid-Holland and aims to realize technological solutions for sustainable healthcare.
To keep healthcare future-proof, a different approach is needed. Technological innovations can contribute to this, but this requires cross-disciplinary cooperation and a proper embedding of innovations in (healthcare) practice. The eight new Medical Delta professors actively seek this cooperation for their research, for example in the field of better diagnostics for cancer, fundamental research into combating viral infections or a more targeted treatment of osteoarthritis. Their inauguration is a recognition of their merits and also an encouragement to act as ambassadors for further cooperation in the field of health & technology.
The inauguration took place during the Medical Delta Conference, which focused on the theme Technology: The Gamechanger for Health – similar to the daily theme ‘gamechangers’ of Leiden City of Science. In the Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden, visitors could experience how technology can be a ‘gamechanger’ for scientific research and for healthcare. Healthcare technology companies from Zuid-Holland let visitors experience how their innovation is changing healthcare, in part thanks to further developments through one of the Medical Delta Living Labs.
Cooperation essental for healthcare transition
“Whether it’s fundamental research covering multiple scientific disciplines or embedding promising innovations in healthcare practice: it can’t happen without good cooperation,” says Prof. Dr. Frank Willem Jansen, chairman of Medical Delta. “Bringing the right parties together, listening carefully and asking thorough questions, and actively searching for common goals and interests: it is a profession in itself. In addition, it takes courage to tread paths unknown to you. The eight new Medical Delta professors have all proven themselves in this field. Their appointment helps them further in the pioneering role they are already taking and, in this, contributes to the healthcare transition that lies ahead.”
Top scientists
Women are still underrepresented at the top of academia, and so is the proportion of female Medical Delta professor. That the eight new appointments are all female professors is, according to Jansen, recognition of the work and research done by female scientists within Medical Delta. “They had been nominated for a long time and they are all top scientists. The ‘gamechangers’ theme was a great opportunity for us to significantly increase the number of female Medical Delta professors with them. Medical Delta professors are the figureheads of our partnership. We hope this will inspire young female scientists and university boards to increase the number of female scientists at the top.”
Interdisciplinary research
Medical Delta annually appoints professors as “Medical Delta professor”. For this, they receive two or more appointments at the five affiliated academic institutions and serve on the Scientific Council of the partnership. Currently, there is a total of 32 Medical Delta professors. As such, they conduct interdisciplinary research at the interface of technology and health care and are ambassadors for cooperation in the field of health & technology.