معرفی
Iris van der Ham is an active Dutch researcher whose scholarship bridges respiratory medicine and biomedical engineering. Over the past five years she has co-authored six peer-reviewed articles that collectively investigate the optimisation of dry-powder inhaler use in COPD patients, the clinical and economic consequences of inhalation errors, and the fundamental behaviour of endothelial cells on micro-structured substrates. Her work is embedded in large international consortia, most notably the multi-country PIFotal study.
Research Interests
- Respiratory medicine, with a focus on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Dry-powder inhaler (DPI) technology and technique optimisation
- Peak inspiratory flow assessment and its clinical implications
- Health-economic evaluation of COPD management
- Endothelial cell biology and cell–material interactions
Across her recent publications, a clear trend emerges: translating technical aspects of inhaler performance—such as peak inspiratory flow and inhalation errors—into measurable impacts on patient health status, exacerbation risk, and healthcare expenditure. Complementing this translational focus, her 2020 study in Heliyon delves into how topographical cues at the microscale direct endothelial-cell phenotype and contact guidance, underscoring her dual expertise in clinical respiratory research and biomedical engineering.
Scientific Impact
Although specific awards are not listed, the research has garnered significant scholarly attention: her papers have accrued between 13 and 20 Scopus citations each, been downloaded over 100 times per article in Pure repositories, and have been referenced in clinical guidelines and picked up by news outlets and social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Mendeley).
Collaborations & Networks
Van der Ham collaborates with an extensive international network spanning the Netherlands, Australia, Spain, Poland, Italy, the UK, and beyond. Frequent co-authors include J. W. H. Kocks, S. Bosnic-Anticevich, M. T. Leving, and J. C. de Sousa, among many others, reflecting her embeddedness in multi-disciplinary research initiatives.
