The collaborative partnership Medical Delta has appointed seven new professors and two lecturers as Medical Delta professors. Among them, Erik van Raaij, Professor of Sustainable Procurement in Healthcare at Erasmus University Rotterdam (ESHPM and RSM) and TU Delft (Industrial Design). The official inauguration took place on April 8 in Delft. The appointments highlight the collaboration in the field of innovation and health between universities and universities of applied sciences in Zuid-Holland.
The Medical Delta professors have distinguished themselves through their research and as individuals who connect research institutes and scientific disciplines and bridge the gap between science and practice. The official title ‘Medical Delta professor’ is not only a form of recognition; for at least five years, the professors will actively serve as ambassadors for advancing transdisciplinary collaboration in the fields of health, innovation, and implementation. Additionally, the professors hold multiple appointments at the nine affiliated academic institutions and universities of applied sciences.
Professor Van Raaij focuses on Sustainable Procurement in Healthcare. He is theme lead Planetary Health at ESHPM and collaborates in the ESCH-R (EvidenceBased Strategies to Create Circular Hospitals) consortium and the ZEE (Zero Emission Endoscopy) consortium. Within Medical Delta, Professor Van Raaij is active in the Medical Delta Program ‘Sustainable hospitals – from science to practice’ and he supervises students in the Thesis Lab Sustainable Healthcare.
Appointments representative of new direction
Medical Delta appoints new Medical Delta professors each year. The 2025 appointments align with the strategy and programming of the Zuid-Holland collaboration, which was launched at the end of last year.
Where Medical Delta began nearly twenty years ago as a collaboration between medical science and technical studies, it has since expanded to encompass health and innovation, with a focus on areas such as prevention, transformation, and greener healthcare. With innovative and sustainable solutions, Medical Delta aims to help keep healthcare accessible, adequately staffed, and affordable.
“For that reason, the collaboration has also deepened. Whereas the focus used to be on breaking through scientific disciplines, we now place even greater emphasis on involving healthcare practice in research, innovation, and implementation,” says Medical Delta chair Prof. Dr. Frank Willem Jansen. “The new group of Medical Delta professors are therefore a reflection of this shift toward greater transdisciplinary collaboration.”
Among the 2025 group are fundamental researchers in medical sciences and technology, as well as researchers working within the social sciences and architecture. “It is precisely these combinations and cross-connections that characterize Medical Delta,” says Jansen. “Complex health challenges require an approach where collaboration and the pooling of knowledge and expertise are essential. These new Medical Delta professors will help lead the way.”
About Medical Delta
Medical Delta is a transdisciplinary collaboration of more than 1,000 participants from Erasmus University, Erasmus MC, TU Delft, LUMC, Leiden University, and four universities of applied sciences in Zuid-Holland (The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Leiden University of Applied Sciences, and Inholland University of Applied Sciences). Together with companies, healthcare institutions, and government bodies, they work on innovative solutions for sustainable healthcare. Medical Delta achieves this, among other things, through transdisciplinary research programs and practice-oriented living labs. In this way, Medical Delta serves as the hub in the innovation and healthcare ecosystem in Zuid-Holland and beyond.
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Overview of the nine new Medical Delta professors and their research (in Dutch) (pdf)
