The Randstad, Netherlands
After years of gathering experience as an university hospital real estate professional/hospital planner, my focus shifted to the coordinating effort to align the various strategic programs within Erasmus MC toward a safe transition to the new hospital building, with fitting work processes, logistics and IT-support. This transition took place in May 2018. My special attention has been patient's needs and creating a "healing environment", using (inter)nationally acquired evidence and experience based design knowledge. As the project- and program secretary and member of the project's management team, I took responsibility for decision making processes, stakeholder engagement, quality assurance and PR for the project. These elements, and the success of balancing of 'bricks', 'bytes' and 'behavior' in this mega-construction project were the subject of my PhD research. I am an acknowledged 'knowledge sharer' on Erasmus MC's hospital redevelopment journey and it's lessons learned. As a researcher I collaborate within the scientific Program Evaluation of our New Erasmus MC (PE-ONE), which also focusses on infection prevention and patient & staff experience with 100% single room accommodation in the inpatient wards. I am a guest researcher both in the department of Public Health at Erasmus MC and with the chair "Design and Construction Manager" at TU Delft - Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. I serve on the Board member of European Health Property Network (EuHPN), where Erasmus MC held membership for many years. I chaired the Organizing Committee of the 5th Architecture, Research Care & Health conference "Enabling health, care and well-being through design research" (ARCH22), held in Delft and Rotterdam in August 2022. I also serve on the Executive Committtee of the Dutch Knowledge Platform for hospital real estate development. In June 2025 I received the Susan Francis Design Champion Award at European Healthcare Design conference in London for my efforts. On April 22, 2026 I received a doctorate at Erasmus University Rotterdam after defending my PhD thesis “Engaging stakeholders in a transformative change process for a newly built hospital”.
Within the Strategy team of the Real Estate Directorate I once again combine the roles of researcher (coordinating the Urban Lab 'Corporate Real Estate' for 4th year students of the University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam, assisting in case study education for Master students of TU Delft (Faculty of Architecture & the Built Environment; Master Management of the Built Environment) and continuing my own PhD trajectory) and policy advisor. In this second role I advise on stakeholder management and engagement for a major new project at Erasmus MC, revisiting steps we took 25 years ago.
After being part of the decision making process and stakeholder management of the new Erasmus MC hospital since the end of the last century (program secretary to the Project Organization New Building and to the transition Program Our New Erasmus MC), I have started to reflect on these processes, the outcomes of the ambitions of the Project Organization on the new built environment and lessons learned for other projects and programs.
After the transition to the new building was completed, an evaluation took place on the project organization managing the construction project; I was appointed as one of the writers of this report, due to my extensive knowledge on the project (organization) over the 20 years of it's existance. Also, the new building was entered for several architectural competitions (winning prizes!), and many delegations came to experience the state-of-the-art hospital themselves. As a senior policy advisor within the Program Integrated Buildings I took on several smaller projects and advisory roles. Currently I am involved in organizing an international research conference on architecture for care and health (ARCH21) and supporting the creation of a visual quality framework for future campus development.