About our research group/lab
Our research
Mission
Better health through better decisions
Objectives
The objectives of our research program are to
- assess the added value of imaging tests and imaging markers for personalized decision making;
- assess the (cost-) effectiveness of image-guided therapies in comparison to medical treatment, surgery, and lifestyle interventions;
- evaluate and image the effects of interventions that alleviate chronic stress and prevent burnout;
- develop methods to optimize study design for the evaluation of health-care interventions.
Methodology
The methods we use include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, prediction modeling, randomized controlled trials, computer simulation of randomized trials, comparative effectiveness research, health technology assessments, uncertainty analysis, and value of information analysis.
Our projects
Evidence-based and Value-Based Radiology
In this line of research we assess the added value of diagnostic imaging tests and imaging markers. Goal is to guide personalized decision making.
Computerized decision support for imaging stewardship
Our vision is to provide the most recent evidence on test performance in an easy-to-use format to support decision-making with respect to diagnostic imaging at the point of care.
Evaluating Image-guided therapy
This line of research evaluates minimally-invasive image-guided therapies assessing short- and long-term effects, patient outcomes, and costs.
Imaging chronic stress and the effect of lifestyle interventions
We evaluate lifestyle interventions such as physical exercise, yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and music therapy to reduce chronic stress and prevent burnout with a focus on health care professionals.
Methods to optimize study design
In this research line we aim to reduce the cost, time, number of patients needed, and burden to patients participating in clinical trials evaluating non-pharmaceutical interventions by optimizing the design of such trials.
Collaborations
Collaboration within Erasmus MC
- Radiology
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences (NIHES)
Collaboration outside of Erasmus MC
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
- UMIT - University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tirol
Funding & Grants
- American Diabetes Association Grant 2018-2020
- ErasmusMC Health Care Efficiency Research Fund Grant 2018-2020
- “Studie Voorschot Middelen” 2018 – 2021
- ZonMW Leading the Change 2018-2021
- EIBIR-EuroAIM/EUSOBI and Bayer Pharma, 2016-2021
- St. Jacobus Foundation, Den Hague, 2016-2019
- Coolsingel Foundation, 2015-2018.
Our team
- Myriam Hunink, MD, PhD, Professor.
- Luuk Avezaat, BSc
- Stijntje Dijk, MSc
- Bart Ferket, MD, PhD
- Kirsty Huininga, BSc
- Thom Korthals, BSc
- Jeremy Labrecque, PhD
- Larissa Setzer, BSc
