Connectedness provides positive impact on patient wellbeing
The ideas that inspired Martinus Cobbenhagen when he established Tilburg University 95 years ago are still at the basis of our university today. We learn to better understand society by being consciously and actively involved in it. Sustainable collaboration is in our DNA and has always been part of the way in which Tilburg University contributes to solutions to complex social issues. A case in point is the long-term collaboration with the Elizabeth Tweesteden hospital (ETZ) in Tilburg. Science and practice jointly contribute to the practical improvement of the care of patients and of their wellbeing.
With a top teaching hospital in your backyard, collaboration is the logical thing to do, Vice-Rector Magnificus Jantine Schuit thinks. The fact that the university does not have a medical school is not an impediment. On the contrary. Our expertise in the fields of behavior, psychology, law, communication, and economics and management has significant added value for medical research. Medical issues should be considered from the perspectives of various disciplines.
Initially, the collaboration with the ETZ was mainly aimed at neuro- and medical psychology, cardiology, and coping with trauma. The We Care program has added the fields of patient wellbeing, the use of data science, and eHealth. Dozens of scientists and doctors from various disciplines work together in diverse research projects.
We Care
The We Care research program is a long-term partnership between Tilburg University and the ETZ aimed at improving patient care. The We Care studies are co-funded by the ETZ and Tilburg University. They are interdisciplinary and are conducted in co-creation by Tilburg University scientists and ETZ medical specialists. Dozens of scientists from all the university’s Schools are involved, and as many doctors. The objective of We Care is to enhance hospital care. This research has a direct and positive impact on patient care, for instance, in the field of shared decision-making and the use of artificial intelligence to improve healthcare. Bart Berden, chairman of the Executive Board of St. Elisabeth Hospital: "We Care has sparked a lot of enthusiasm. The ETZ is a center of healthcare, research, and knowledge transfer. Collaboration in research makes the hospital flourish in many different ways.”
Read more on the We Care projects (in Dutch).
There is a person behind the care we provide’
Bart Berden
More impact in healthcare
Besides the collaboration with the ETZ, various Tilburg University Departments have been working together with diverse care institutions and professionals, both in the Brabant region and beyond. Within Tranzo, the scientific center for care and wellbeing of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, this has been the case for more than twenty years in Academic Collaborative Centers: research is conducted in co-creation with professional practitioners to benefit diverse groups of people, ranging from the young to the elderly, mental health care, addiction care, and the care of people with a mental disability.
As part of the PROFIEL study, researchers collaborate with the Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL), patients, and hospitals around the world to collect, process, and share data to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors and their loved ones.
Strategie 2027: samenwerking voor brede welvaart
Strategy 2027: Collaboration for Broad Prosperity
Under the umbrella theme of ‘Broad Prosperity’, the university will give further shape to its interwovenness with society in the coming years. Collaboration with civil society partners will be implemented in new, interdisciplinary academic Collaborative Centers. The aim is to find new solutions for current and complex issues, including the climate crisis, the increasing demand for healthcare, labor shortages, increasing inequality, and digitalization.
Jantine Schuit: “The university-wide Academic Collaborative Centers were set up to stimulate collaboration and knowledge development and transfer, each with a clear objective. In the coming years, these Collaborative Centers will contribute to issues that are important to people: health, climate, a pleasant living environment, and work. Broad Prosperity is not merely about wellbeing in the here and now, but also about the wellbeing of people beyond our region and of future generations.”
Read the full press release on the Academic Collaborative Centers for Broad Prosperity
Date of publication: 25 November 2022