The Sophia bus

Scientific research helps us develop new treatments. To make this possible, we need as many children and their parents as possible to participate in our research. But for some patients visits are tiring, too stressful or risky for their health. This is why researchers from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology came up with the Sophia bus.

The Sophia bus is a mobile research laboratory that allows us to come to you, so you and your child can participate in our scientific research without coming to the hospital. The bus has all the facilities needed to carry out measurements with your child, so you do not have to come to hospital later.

Inside the bus is a reception area where we can take questionnaires and your child can perform tasks. There is also a small kitchen for coffee and tea. At the back of the bus is a private examination room, separated by curtain, where we can do additional research and where, for example, computer tasks can be done.

The Sophia bus has solar panels for electricity and a secure Wi-Fi network to store data directly on secure Erasmus MC servers.

The Sophia bus is currently being used for the studies below:

UNIQUE

Since early 2023, we have been using the Sophia bus for the long-term biobank study of research centre UNIQUE. UNIQUE collects as much data as possible from people with a rare genetic disorder and a form of autism.

NEC study

The NEC study is a research project of the Department of Neonatology and researches pain experience in children with necrotizing enterocolitis, an intestinal disease that occurs in premature babies.

Watch the video from Rijnmond RTV below. We follow the parents of two little patients, participating in the UNIQUE research in the Sophia bus.

Source: RTV Rijnmond

Will the Sophia bus be visiting your child soon?

Together with you, we will decide the best place to park the Sophia bus. We can park in front of your door or in a nearby parking area.

Would you and your child like to participate in one of our studies, or do you have other questions about the Sophia bus? You can email the researchers from the studies above, or send a message to our general email address.

For a long time, the Sophia bus was just a dream. But after a successful Lichtjesactie fundraising campaign in December 2017, we were able to make our dream a reality. Many individuals, schools and companies raised enough money to buy a camper van. This was followed by months of preparation and hard work. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Sophia Foundation and the Neuroscience Department, among others, the Sophia bus was finished in October 2018. And since then our bus has already made many trips!