Jan van der Scheer

Jan van der Scheer is a Senior Research Associate at The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute (THIS Institute) and Research By-Fellow at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. He holds a PhD in physical activity and neurological disability from the Netherlands and has held postdoctoral positions in the UK, Canada, and Japan. His primary affiliations involve advancing evidence-based healthcare improvement methodologies.

Research Focus: Jan's work centers on collaborative healthcare innovation, with dual emphasis on: (1) Maternity care safety (e.g., co-designing the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth programme and leading COVID-19 obstetric emergency protocols), and (2) Sustainable healthcare systems, including developing decarbonization frameworks and leading an upcoming AI-environmental impact study in the NHS. His methodologies prioritize co-design, consensus-building, and cross-boundary network approaches to address real-world healthcare challenges.

Awards & Recognition:

• University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Impact and Engagement (2021) for pandemic-era obstetric emergency management

Future Initiatives: From October 2025, he will lead a Biomedical Research Centre-funded project assessing environmental impacts of AI technologies in NHS settings, expanding his work in sustainable healthcare innovation.