Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
My mission is to help health professionals and patients embrace meaningful data science & AI innovations to work and live smarter and happier without requiring technical expertise. Subsequently, my academic drive is to connect practical problems in healthcare practices to fundamental challenges in data science & AI by addressing these simultaneously. This is in essence my Translational Data Science & AI (TDS) research theme, which bridges the best of both worlds. I aim to achieve a better fundamental understanding of the world around us through data science & AI innovations by being societally inspired, demand-driven and solution-oriented. In 2020 I was appointed Full Professor of Advanced Data Science in Population Health at both the Department of Public Health & Primary Care (PHEG) of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) at the Faculty of Science (FWN) of Leiden University (ULEI) to further pursue my research vision of simultaneously translating novel data science & AI techniques to health innovations and implementing new insights from these novel applications into daily healthcare practices. On 1 April 2022 I delivered my inaugural lecture titled Translational Data Science in Population Health, in which I introduced TDS as an independent discipline embedded within the Dutch scientific landscape. At the Health Campus The Hague I have started the TDS Lab. My strategic research objective is to establish an authoritative and open national infrastructure for Dutch health research, education and care to accelerate innovation and to democratise data science & AI technologies through especially natural language processing, generative AI, and automated machine learning techniques. My research theme Translational Data Science & AI in Population Health has three complementary research lines (Data Engineering, Data Analytics, eHealth Implementation) which together address the continuous knowledge discovery process as operationalised by the cross-industry standard process for data science (CRISP-DM).
Marco Spruit is Professor Advanced Data Science in Population Health at the department of Public Health & Primary Care (PHEG) of the Faculty of Medicine (LUMC) and the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) at the Faculty of Science (FWN) of Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is interested both in translating new algorithms to novel health applications as in implementing new insights from these novel applications into daily practices. Marco’s strategic research objective is to establish an authoritative national infrastructure for Dutch Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning to democratise Data Science. He focuses in particular on the Population Health and Wellbeing domain in his Translational Data Science Lab. Marco leads the research line Translational Data Science in Population Health at the Health Campus The Hague. This research line has three themes. First, in Data Engineering he investigates the further consolidation, standardisation and enrichment of the Extramural LUMC Academic Network (ELAN) data infrastructure, in line with national initiatives and in collaboration with his PHEG colleagues. Second, in Data Analytics he investigates Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques for their suitability to answer current and novel types of translational research questions, especially from a democratising Data Science perspective, in collaboration with his LIACS colleagues. Third, in e-Health Implementation Marco designs and implements Data Science interventions through e-Health software solutions within the region in close collaboration with the Campus partners.
Marco Spruit is Professor Advanced Data Science in Population Health at the department of Public Health & Primary Care (PHEG) of the Faculty of Medicine (LUMC) and the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) at the Faculty of Science (FWN) of Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is interested both in translating new algorithms to novel health applications as in implementing new insights from these novel applications into daily practices. Marco’s strategic research objective is to establish an authoritative national infrastructure for Dutch Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning to democratise Data Science. He focuses in particular on the Population Health and Wellbeing domain in his Translational Data Science Lab. Marco leads the research line Translational Data Science in Population Health at the Health Campus The Hague. This research line has three themes. First, in Data Engineering he investigates the further consolidation, standardisation and enrichment of the Extramural LUMC Academic Network (ELAN) data infrastructure, in line with national initiatives and in collaboration with his PHEG colleagues. Second, in Data Analytics he investigates Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques for their suitability to answer current and novel types of translational research questions, especially from a democratising Data Science perspective, in collaboration with his LIACS colleagues. Third, in e-Health Implementation Marco designs and implements Data Science interventions through e-Health software solutions within the region in close collaboration with the Campus partners.
As a member of the board of the mijnIBDcoach foundation I have supervised the ICT aspects regarding this e-Health solution for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which is increasingly being prescribed throughout hospitals in the Netherlands.
From 2007-2020 Marco worked as associate professor in the Natural Language Processing research group at the department of Information and Computing Sciences at Utrecht University, where he notably conducted numerous European-funded studies (OPERAM, SAF21, SMESEC, GEIGER, OPTICA) and nationally funded research projects (STRIMP, COVIDA). He participated in various leadership programmes and obtained academic qualifications such the Senior Research Qualification, Senior Teaching Qualification, and Ius Promovendi. From 2007-2018 he was an assistant professor Information Science, acting as the Information Science and Applied Data Science programmes manager for several years, among others.
I have been a researcher and lecturer in the Organisation & Information research group at the Information and Computing Sciences department in the Science faculty from 2007-2018. Moreover, since 2016 I have been the Principle Investigator in the department's Applied Data Science Lab.
As a member of the supervisory board of the County Library of South East Utrecht specializing in ICT innovation, I have acted as a sparring partner and supervisor of the executive board on issues related to e-participation, knowledge management, and more.