Marlies Schijven Keynote Speaker

Professor Marlies Schijven is a surgeon, digital health pioneer and internationally recognised authority on the intersection of healthcare, technology, AI, and innovation. A Full Professor of Surgery at Amsterdam UMC and Chair of Digital Health at the University of Amsterdam, she combines clinical expertise with cutting-edge research exploring how artificial intelligence, simulation, serious gaming and digital tools can transform healthcare systems and patient outcomes.

Alongside her academic role, Marlies is a practising upper gastrointestinal surgeon at Amsterdam UMC, specialising in reflux disease, achalasia and other gastrointestinal motility disorders. Her research focuses on virtual and augmented reality medical simulation, mobile health technologies, wearable devices and digital innovations designed to improve surgical training, clinical decision-making and patient safety. She is the EU Consortium Leader for the EU Program ‘KEEPCARING’, a project dedicated to improving the well-being of healthcare professionals across the European Union.

A leading voice in the global digital health movement, Marlies has helped shape national and international healthcare innovation strategies. She served as the first Chief Medical Information Officer to the Dutch Ministry of Health, and is a pioneer for the application of responsible AI and VR in healthcare.

Her pioneering work includes the development of the “Black Box” for operating rooms an AI-enabled data recorder that allows surgical teams to analyse performance and enhance safety in complex procedures. An accomplished researcher and mentor, she has authored more than 170 scientific publications and leads international initiatives exploring how artificial intelligence can support healthcare professionals and build resilient healthcare systems.

As a keynote speaker, Marlies Schijven brings audiences a rare combination of clinical insight, technological vision and policy experience. She explores how healthcare leaders, policymakers and organisations can responsibly integrate digital innovation while keeping human care at the centre of medicine.