UMagazine

UMagazine offers an insight into the key developments and achievements in education and research at Maastricht University. The magazine appears twice a year.

The February 2026 edition includes impressions from UM's 50th Dies Natalis, attended by, among others, King Willem-Alexander and André Rieu.

In our portrait, Anna Harris, professor of Anthropology and Medicine, brings together crafts, anthropology and medicine to investigate how hospitals can reduce waste and foster creativity in care. Bart Zwegers tells the story of Maastricht University in 50 objects. Martijn Boussé, Linda Verlinden, and Linda Rieswijk discuss responsible AI use in schools and how UM can contribute by involving parents.

Professor Frenk Peeters and his PhD student Dyllis van Dijk explain why waiting times are a serious problem in treating depression. Anna Wilbik, Rudolf Müller, and Rim Stroeks explain how UM helps SMEs in the region harness digitization via DigiMach.

"Europe must assert itself," says Yf Reykers, discussing how we can adapt to serious geopolitical changes. In the soul kitchen, Akorshi Sengupta shares insights from his culinary education across India. Alumni Janine Collet, (medicine cohort of 1977) and Femke Deguelle, a GP currently specialising, discuss changes in geriatric medicine. Roger Cox, one of the honorary doctorate recipients at the Dies Natalis, talks about what motivates him and his groundbreaking work in climate jurisprudence.

Read about all this and more in the February issue of UMagazine!

UMagazine stories

Responsible use of AI at school starts with parents

It’s a fear shared by many parents and teachers: students who don’t do their schoolwork themselves, but have it done by AI tools such as ChatGPT. The concerns are not unfounded. Nonetheless, education also stands to gain a great deal from the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence.

Care that can’t wait

Psychological distress in the Netherlands is not some abstract idea. It hits everywhere—families, schools, workplaces. Behind every graph is an individual of flesh and blood. The latest figures from the national research institutes in public health (RIVM) and mental health (Trimbos) are unequivocal.

Positive health: Beyond the token fruit basket and workplace fitness

Positive health—it’s a term that crops up more and more often, including in relation to work. But what does it actually mean, and how can employers and employees put it into practice? Professor Tim Huijts studies positive health in the workplace.

Dyllis van Dijk and Frenk Peeters stand side by side.

DigiMach: digitisation for SMEs

Digitisation is becoming more and more important, including for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). DigiMach is a Euregional innovation project designed to help smaller companies in the metal sector move forward with digitisation. Maastricht University is one of the partners.

UMagazine DigiMach Anna Wilbik Rudolf Muller Rim Stroeks

How to prevent a total collapse of the healthcare system

It sounds ominous, but the numbers don’t lie: within 10 years the Dutch healthcare system could face collapse, with no guarantee that people will receive the care they need. Yet despite these forecasts, Professor Angelique de Rijk and assistant professor Petra Erkens remain optimistic.