Health Data Science

We are pleased to announce The OMOP Practitioner — Expert Training, a new three-day expert training programme taking place in Rotterdam from 7–9 September 2026.

This intensive, hands-on course is designed for OMOP CDM implementers who want to take the next step: improving data quality, designing robust cohorts, and generating reliable real-world evidence within their organisation and across data networks.

The programme will cover key OMOP tools and workflows, including the Data Quality Dashboard, ATLAS, CohortDiagnostics, CdmOnboarding, Achilles, and the TreatmentPatterns package. Participants will work through practical exercises and leave with concrete improvement pointers and a personal 30-day action plan.

• The training takes place from 7–9 September 2026 in Rotterdam.
• The course is limited to a maximum of 30 participants.
• Up to 5 BYOO slots are available for participants bringing their own OMOP CDM results.
• The training is delivered by the Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus MC.

More information about the programme, prerequisites, pricing, and registration can be found below.

Attending the ICPE 2026 Annual Meeting was a great opportunity to take part in meaningful discussions on the role of pharmacoepidemiology in advancing patient health and improving healthcare.

In Milan, our department’s work was presented in 13 different posters and 3 oral presentations, which showcased the extraordinary work of the Darwin Coordination Centre team, an excellent example of how, despite the increased amount and complexity of health data sources, we can rapidly generate robust evidence while ensuring the transparency and reproducibility of the research.

The meeting also offered valuable opportunities to expand our knowledge through pre-conference courses, and to gain new inspiring perspectives from the shortest symposium as well as the main keynote lectures covering topics ranging from data quality and advanced analytical methods to scientific dissemination.
Meeting other colleagues, researchers, practitioners, and experts from around the world always provides opportunities for new insights and interesting discussions while paving the way for future collaborations across academia, industry, and regulatory settings.

A great week of science and knowledge sharing, made even better by the beautiful weather and a little taste of Italy.

Are you looking for an impactful project for your Master's thesis? We currently have open positions for Master Students to undertake a graduation project within our department. Projects mostly focus on developing novel AI/ML methods using data from Dutch primary care; example projects can be found here.

What we are looking for:

• Candidates with a strong quantitative background who are highly motivated, eager to learn, and demonstrate initiative in their work.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are desired.
• Interest in the healthcare domain. 

What we offer:  

• Projects addressing real-world problems using a large primary care database. 
• Regular meetings with a dedicated supervisor.
• An internship allowance from Erasmus Medical Center.

If you are interested, please send your application including CV, motivation, preferred timeline for completing the thesis, and research interests (if you have them) to Ilse Schuemie (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) before November 16th, 2025. Interviews will take place early December.

At the beginning of October, several members of our group attended the OHDSI Global Symposium in New Brunswick, where they presented their work, led workshops, and explored new collaborations within the global OHDSI community.

It was an inspiring and productive event, filled with fascinating research and great discussions. We are proud to share that our team’s efforts were recognized with multiple awards!

• Aniek and Maarten received a Titan Award for their work on the Treatment Patterns package.
• The entire DARWIN EU® team was also honored with a Titan Award for their impactful contributions to the OHDSI community.

Overall, it was a very successful and rewarding symposium!