Translational data science: applications in health care
How can you tie together scientific research and practical applications? That is exactly what Professor of Translational Data Science Marco Spruit is concerned with, he tells FMT Gezondheid. 'It's about taking socially relevant questions as a starting point for your research.'
Translational data science refers to the translation of results from basic research into practical applications. Spruit applies his specialty at the Health Campus The Hague, an "outpost" of the LUMC (Leiden University Medical Center) and Leiden University. The Health Campus aims to contribute to healthy life expectancy from various scientific and clinical perspectives.
Spruit works on a variety of healthcare-related issues. From retrieving patients' smoking status to an AI solution for better medication prescription. He is also concerned with healthcare data registration: 'Ultimately, I am trying to create an infrastructure for performing translational data science. I also want to make that accessible to general practitioners, specialists and interested citizens.'