Noortje Bax appointed chair of 4TU.Health centre
Since 1 July 2024 Noortje Bax has been appointed as chair (a.i.) of the 4TU.Health centre. She succeeds Richard Goossens, who held this position since 2022. In her new role, Noortje is determined to create synergy between the four technical universities, businesses and healthcare institutions. With the aim of jointly addressing healthcare challenges through technological innovations.
It soon became clear to Noortje that she wanted to contribute to the improvement of healthcare. During her master’s in biology at Radboud University Nijmegen, she therefore chose the medical biology track and did a graduation project at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). There, she researched the role of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in the recovery of the heart after a heart attack.
During her PhD research at LUMC, she investigated whether the processes involved in heart development during the embryonic phase, could be translated into solutions for heart recovery in adults. She specifically focused on the role of epicardial cells (the outer layer of the heart), which positively influence cardiac muscle cells and coronary arteries during development. Additionally, she explored whether these cells could also play a crucial role in the recovery of heart tissue after damage in the adult heart.
From fundamental to application-oriented research
Noortje: ‘After successfully completing my PhD, I was looking for a way to connect science and practice. A position as a Postdoc at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) seemed like the perfect next step. There, I had the opportunity to further investigate how regenerative medicine, such as tissue engineering and cell therapy, can contribute to the recovery of cardiac damage after a heart attack.’
The award of a Junior Dekker grant from the Dutch heart foundation enabled her to investigate the effect rest gives to the heart and its role in the recovery of a diseased heart muscle. A short fellowship at Columbia University in New York (USA) was also part of this research.
Turning the tide
‘I love science and enjoy training and educating researchers of the future. However, there came a moment when I decided that it was time for a change; sometimes that is necessary to accomplish your dream. I realised that you can achieve a lot with passion for research and curiosity, but that collaboration and synergy are essential for real, medical breakthroughs. That’s why I decided to turn the tide.’
Since 2019, Noortje has been working as a Project development officer at the Centre for Care and Cure Technology within the department of Electrical Engineering at TU/e, where she focuses on promoting collaborations between technical researchers, medical centres and industry.
These collaborations are crucial for stimulating innovations in healthcare, which not only help reduce healthcare costs but also contributes to maintaining sufficient healthcare personnel and improving the quality of care. Additionally, she supports and guides researchers in drafting funding proposals and assembling the ideal team of committed partners.
Synergy makes the difference
Believing that synergy can make a big difference, Noortje was closely involved with the 4TU.Health centre from the start. Within this centre, we stimulate the four technical universities to join forces in the development of advanced technologies for patient-centered care innovations. In doing so, they demonstrate how technological solutions can be of value for health and care.
Noortje: ‘I strongly believe in the power of collaboration to achieve a goal that truly makes a difference. That’s why I am keen to contribute to knowledge sharing, pooling resources, and creating partnerships. Many people do not realise how much the technical universities contribute to healthcare. Often unknown makes unloved, while the role and impact of these universities in healthcare are actually incredibly diverse.’
In her new role as chair of 4TU.Health, she aims to further highlight the value of technology for healthcare. Noortje: ‘We all want to improve healthcare, but that can only be achieved with the right people on the team. I love bringing people together and see myself as a mediator between different stakeholders. Through 4TU.Health, I want to create synergy, emphasise the importance of health technology, and realise healthcare innovations that truly have an impact in clinical practice.’
She looks forward to her term as chair and aims not only to stimulate innovations and collaborative research in healthcare, but also to strengthen the 4TU.Health centre by building new partnerships with other healthcare organisations, businesses, governments, and stakeholders. ‘Together, we can successfully tackle the challenges in healthcare,’ says Noortje.